Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, on Monday convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals identified as Huang Xiao Liang (also known as Liu Xiao Liang) and Shi Yang Xiong, to one year in prison each for their roles in cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
The two convicts were among the 792 suspects arrested in December 2024 during a large-scale sting operation tagged โEagle Flush Operationโ, targeting a syndicate allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud.
The duo were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on separate charges, including conspiracy to commit cyber-terrorism and using computer systems to defraud and destabilise Nigeriaโs economy.
One of the charges against Huang read, “That you, HUANG XIAO LIANG (a.k.a LIU XIAO LIANG) and GENTING INTERNATIONAL CO. Ltd., sometime in December, 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, conspired amongst yourselves, caused to be accessed a computer system used for the purpose of destabilising and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition & Prevention) Act 2015.”
The convicts initially pleaded โnot guiltyโ to the charges but at Mondayโs hearing, they changed their pleas to โguilty.โ
Following their change of plea, the prosecution counsel, U.S. Kyari, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Huang and Shi to one year in prison each, with an option of a fine of N1,000,000.
The court further ordered that, upon completion of their prison terms, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) must ensure their repatriation to China within seven days.
Additionally, all items recovered from the convicts during the operation were ordered to be forfeited to the Nigerian government.
Reacting to the judgment, the EFCC described the ruling as a significant milestone in its fight against cybercrimes and a stern warning to foreign nationals seeking to exploit Nigeriaโs digital and economic infrastructure.
Recall that on Friday July 4, 2025, the court also convicted and sentenced eight Chinese nationals to jail for cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, convicted the defendants after finding them guilty of orchestrating large-scale online fraud schemes targeting unsuspecting victims across multiple countries.
The convicted eight Chinese nationals were also part of the 792-member international fraud syndicate arrested during the โEagle Flush Operationโ, which uncovered a complex web of cryptocurrency investment scams, romance frauds, and identity theft schemes executed via sophisticated digital infrastructure.
