Nigeria has begun deporting foreign nationals convicted of cybercrime and Ponzi scheme offences, in what authorities describe as one of the country’s largest anti-fraud operations to date.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed that 42 of 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals have already been repatriated, with more deportations expected in the coming weeks.
The development follows a sweeping raid in December 2024 on a Lagos-based cybercrime syndicate that led to the arrest of nearly 800 suspects, including Nigerians, Chinese, Filipinos, and other foreign operatives.
Investigations uncovered a sophisticated fraud ring that laundered illicit funds through cryptocurrency vendors and trained Nigerian recruits to impersonate foreign identities. Many were instructed to pose as women online, targeting unsuspecting victims across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and several European countries.
During the raid, EFCC operatives discovered a disturbing scale of operations. In one building alone, officers recovered about 500 SIM cards, believed to have been used in large-scale identity theft and internet scams.
The crackdown and deportations mark a significant step in Nigeria’s broader fight against international cybercrime networks, which have increasingly drawn in both local actors and foreign collaborators.
Authorities say that beyond deportations, Nigerian suspects will face prosecution under the country’s cybercrime laws, with emphasis on dismantling the recruitment pipelines that fuel such schemes.
