The court ordered the confiscation of 431 cellphones confiscated from Chinese fraudsters

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final confiscation of 431 mobile phones seized from convicted Chinese cyber fraud operators and their accomplices to the Federal Government.

Justice Deinde Dipeolu granted the order on Tuesday following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, 2006 and Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution.

In the complaint marked FHC/LAG/MISC/990/2026, filed as an action in rem, EFCC legal counsel, Hanatu Kofarnaisa, prayed the court for complete confiscation of the devices, arguing that they were instruments and proceeds of unlawful activities.

In filing the application, the prosecution relied on a sworn affidavit by EFCC investigative officer Christopher Augustine, who uncovered an international cybercrime network operating in the Lagos, Victoria Island area.

According to the anti-corruption agency, foreign nationals from China, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and Pakistan set up a secret operational center codenamed “HK” on Victoria Island, where more than 500 laptops, 400 mobile phones and various local telecommunication cards were deployed for romance fraud, cryptocurrency fraud and investment fraud.

The commission revealed that a massive sting operation carried out on December 10, 2024 resulted in the arrest of more than 700 suspects, including 500 Nigerians, 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Kyrgyz citizens and one Pakistani citizen.

Investigations showed that a company, Genting International Company Limited, controlled by Chinese national Huang Haoyu (Ken), was registered in mid-2024 as a front for the syndicate.

GICL employs approximately 200 Chinese nationals who recruit and supervise young Nigerians in committing romance and investment fraud targeting victims in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

The EFCC stated that workers were given foreign WhatsApp numbers, mainly from Germany and Italy, to lure victims into transferring funds to fake online shopping platforms.

Fraud proceeds worth over N3.4 billion were traced directly to Haoyu’s personal account, part of which was used to purchase mobile gadgets for Nigerian recruits.

After initial prosecution, Haoyu and GICL were found guilty and sentenced after pleading guilty to seven charges covering cyber terrorism, money laundering and illegal foreign exchange transactions filed on March 7, 2025.

The EFCC’s legal counsel informed the court that an additional 431 mobile phones were later discovered during follow-up investigations, resulting in the anti-corruption agency issuing a temporary confiscation order on July 8, 2026.

The Commission confirmed full compliance with the court’s directive by issuing a temporary order on August 11, 2026, to notify interested parties to show cause why the items should not be permanently confiscated.

Conveying that none of the parties raised objections to the expiry of the statutory time limit, Kofarnaisa urged the court to grant the final confiscation in the interests of justice.

Granting the prayer, Justice Dipeolu stated that the petitioner had complied with all the requirements of the law and accordingly ordered that the 431 mobile phones be permanently handed over to the Federal Government.