A Lagos court sent 17 Chinese people to jail for one year each on Monday. The federal judge found them guilty of cyber terrorism and internet scams. These criminals used computers to hurt Nigeria's money system and damage the country. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission caught all of them during a big raid last December. Officials called their special arrest mission "Eagle Flush Operation."
Police grabbed these suspects as part of a much larger group. The December raid caught 792 people suspected of computer crimes around Lagos. Each Chinese person faced court separately during February hearings. They all said they were innocent at first but changed their minds Monday. The criminals decided to make deals with prosecutors instead of fighting the charges.
Judges ordered each person to pay one million naira as punishment money. The court also said immigration officers must send all 17 convicts back to China within one week. Officials will keep everything they took from the criminals during arrests. Police found mobile phones, laptop computers and internet routers when they caught them.
The Chinese group violated Section 18 of Nigeria's cybercrime prevention law from 2015. Their prison time started counting from December 10 when police first arrested them. The federal government will own all the electronic equipment the criminals used. Defense lawyers agreed to the punishment deals their clients accepted during Monday's hearing.
Police grabbed these suspects as part of a much larger group. The December raid caught 792 people suspected of computer crimes around Lagos. Each Chinese person faced court separately during February hearings. They all said they were innocent at first but changed their minds Monday. The criminals decided to make deals with prosecutors instead of fighting the charges.
Judges ordered each person to pay one million naira as punishment money. The court also said immigration officers must send all 17 convicts back to China within one week. Officials will keep everything they took from the criminals during arrests. Police found mobile phones, laptop computers and internet routers when they caught them.
The Chinese group violated Section 18 of Nigeria's cybercrime prevention law from 2015. Their prison time started counting from December 10 when police first arrested them. The federal government will own all the electronic equipment the criminals used. Defense lawyers agreed to the punishment deals their clients accepted during Monday's hearing.
