21 Foreign Hackers Fined ₦1m Each, Ordered To Depart Nigeria
Justice Ekerete Akpan of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has convicted 21 foreign nationals over high-level cybercrime, fining each of them one million Naira.
Delivering judgment on the plea bargain reached between the convicts and the Nigeria Police Force, Justice Akpan ordered their immediate departure from Nigeria within six working days.
Justice Akpan further held that the sentence was based on the agreed terms of the plea bargain.
“After the defendants entered the plea bargain agreement without being forced, I hereby convict you as charged.
“The sentence shall be based on the parties’ agreement of ₦1 million fine each, against each of the defendants, which shall be paid before their release. They shall depart the country within six working days,” the judge held.
Justice Akpan also ordered that all gadgets used in the commission of the crimes be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The 21 convicts are among 109 foreign nationals being prosecuted by the Inspector-General of Police over charges of cybercrime, money laundering, and actions deemed threats to Nigeria’s national security.
The defendants, from countries including China, Indonesia, Brazil, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand, were arraigned in 2024 on a six-count charge.
They initially pleaded not guilty and were remanded in Kuje and Keffi Correctional Centres, pending fulfillment of stringent bail conditions set on November 29, 2024, which included ₦1 billion bail and five sureties with ₦200 million worth of landed property each.
Source: Channels
