Cyber Fraud: Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 431 Phones Linked to Chinese Convicts
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of 431 mobile phones linked to Chinese nationals convicted over cyber-fraud-related offences to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu made the order on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, following an application filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The application was filed through the Commission’s counsel, Hannatu Kofarnaisa.
The court had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order on July 8, 2026, directing the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested individual or entity to show cause why the devices should not be permanently forfeited.
While presenting the application for final forfeiture, 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 person or organisation came 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 outlined 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 nationals and Nigerian youths at a facility known as “HK” in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The facility was allegedly used to train and deploy Nigerian youths and foreign nationals to perpetrate romance, investment and cryptocurrency fraud.
The affidavit stated that victims in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe were among the major targets of the alleged operation.
It further revealed that an EFCC sting operation conducted on December 10, 2024, resulted in the arrest of more than 700 individuals, including about 500 Nigerians, 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos and other foreign nationals.
The EFCC also alleged that Genting International Company Limited (GICL), purportedly controlled by Huang Haoyu, also known as Ken, and other foreign nationals, was involved in the operation.
Huang and GICL were subsequently charged with seven counts bordering on 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.
The EFCC told the court that Huang and GICL pleaded guilty to the charges and were subsequently convicted and sentenced.
The Commission maintained that the 431 mobile phones were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and were therefore liable to forfeiture under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
After considering the submissions of the EFCC and the affidavit evidence before him, Justice Dipeolu held that the application had merit.
The judge subsequently ordered the final forfeiture of the 431 mobile phones to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
