15 Foreigners Sentenced To Prison For Cyber-Terrorism, Internet Fraud In Lagos

Two Federal High Court judges in Lagos, Justice Yellin Bogoro and Justice Alexander Owoeye, have sentenced 15 foreign nationals to one year in prison each for their roles in internet fraud and cyber-terrorism.

The convicted individuals include 11 Filipinos: Winnie De Jesus, Kayceelynn Remorin, Irish Chna, Darwisa Esmael, Kimberly Nisperos, Savien Cire Renovilla, Jessa Sanchi, Jhena Sarmiento, Rain Torida, Rex Jose Dilag (also known as Madison), and Beverlyin Gumayo (also known as Veb Sumayo).

Others include two Chinese nationals, Zeng Zerong and Guo Bin, one Malaysian, Tan Soon Kar, and an Indonesian, Fernando Fu Fang.

They were charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate counts involving possession of fake documents and various cybercrime activities.

According to the EFCC, these crimes took place in Lagos in December 2024.

The commission explained that Winnie De Jesus, along with a company named Genting International Co. Ltd, gained unauthorized access to computer systems with the goal of harming Nigeria’s economic and social structure.

She was also accused of recruiting Nigerian youths to commit online identity theft by pretending to be foreigners in order to steal money.

In a similar case, Kayceelynn Remorin and Genting International Co. Ltd were said to have played a key role in training Nigerian youths to impersonate others online for financial gain.

Remorin was also found guilty of using a fake identity—posing as someone named Anastacia Lim—to help her employer illegally obtain money.

The EFCC said these actions violated several sections of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act (2015, updated in 2024) and the Terrorism Prevention Act (2022).

All 15 defendants pleaded guilty and accepted plea deals with the EFCC.

Prosecutors N.K. Ukoha, T.J. Banjo, and N.C. Mutfwang asked the court to convict them based on those agreements.

The judges sentenced each of them to one year behind bars, with an option to pay a N1 million fine instead of serving time in prison.

They also ordered that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) deport all the convicts to their home countries within seven days after completing their sentence or paying the fine.

In addition, all electronic devices recovered from the convicts were confiscated and handed over to the Nigerian government.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Nigerian Police previously arrested and arraigned 113 foreign nationals before the Federal High Court in Abuja.