The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned 14 Filipinos and a company, Genting International Co. Ltd, before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over alleged cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The defendants, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, are part of a 792-member syndicate of alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested in Lagos on December 10, 2024, during a surprise operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation”.
They were arraigned on separate charges bordering on cybercrimes, cyber-terrorism, impersonation, possession of documents containing false pretence, and identity theft. The charges alleged that the defendants willfully caused computer systems to be accessed, organized to seriously destabilize and destroy Nigeria’s fundamental economic and social structure.
Justice Musa Kakaki adjourned the matter till March 13, 2025, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in a correctional center.
This development comes after the EFCC arraigned 29 Chinese, 10 Filipinos, and three others for alleged internet fraud in Lagos, with the defendants facing charges related to cybercrime, cyber-terrorism, impersonation, identity theft, and possession of fraudulent documents.
