Cyber Fraud: EFCC secures final forfeiture of 431 phones from Chinese convicts
Cyber Fraud: EFCC secures final forfeiture of 431 phones from Chinese convicts
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the final forfeiture of 431 mobile phones linked to a cyber-fraud operation involving Chinese and Nigerian nationals in Lagos.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC secured the forfeiture order on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, following a ruling by Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The court ordered that the 431 mobile phones be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government after the EFCC established that the devices were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The forfeiture followed a motion on notice filed by the EFCC through its counsel, Hannatu Kofarnaisa.
The court had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order on July 8, 2026, directing the commission to publish the order in a national newspaper to give any interested person or entity an opportunity to show cause why the phones should not be permanently forfeited.
While moving the application for final forfeiture, Ms Kofarnaisa told the court that the EFCC had complied with the directive by publishing the notice in The Guardian newspaper on August 11, 2026.
She said no individual or entity had come forward to contest the forfeiture within the period stipulated by the court.
The application was supported by an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, Christopher Augustine, who detailed the findings of the commission’s investigation.
According to the affidavit, the 431 mobile phones were linked to a cyber-fraud operation allegedly involving Chinese and Nigerian youths at a facility known as “HK” in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The facility, the EFCC alleged, was used to train and deploy Nigerian youths and foreign nationals to carry out romance, investment and cryptocurrency fraud.
The commission said victims of the alleged fraud were mainly targeted in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe.
The affidavit stated that a sting operation conducted by the EFCC on December 10, 2024, resulted in the arrest of more than 700 individuals.
Those arrested, according to the commission, included about 500 Nigerians, 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos and other foreign nationals.
The EFCC further alleged that Genting International Company Limited, GICL, and its alleged controller, Huang Haoyu, also known as Ken, a Chinese national, were involved in the operation.
The commission subsequently charged Huang and GICL with seven counts relating to cyber terrorism, possession of fraudulent documents, failure to declare activities to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML, illegal foreign exchange transactions and money laundering.
According to the EFCC, Huang and GICL pleaded guilty to the charges and were subsequently convicted and sentenced by the court.
The commission told the court that the 431 mobile phones recovered during its investigation were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
It therefore sought their permanent forfeiture under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
After hearing the submissions of the EFCC and reviewing the affidavit evidence placed before the court, Justice Dipeolu held that the application had merit.
The judge consequently ordered the final forfeiture of the 431 mobile phones to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
