Nigeria has deported dozens of foreigners, including 50 Chinese nationals, in a major crackdown over the last week on one of the “largest foreign-led cybercrime syndicates”, the country’s anti-graft agency has said.
“This brings the total repatriated convicted foreign nationals to 102 in the ongoing exercise,” it said, adding they had been found guilty of “cyberterrorism and internet fraud”.
They are among the 192 foreigners arrested during a sting operation in Lagos last Friday.
Nigeria is notorious for internet fraud and romance scamming is rife. Cybercrime cases were amongst the most prevalent offences in Nigeria last year, according to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
In recent years, the EFCC has successfully busted several hideouts where young cybercriminals, locally known as “Yahoo Boys”, learn their scamming skills.
There have also been several high-profile cyber-fraud cases linked to Nigerians living outside the country – some uncovered by the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
On Thursday, the EFCC posted photos on X of the foreigners it was deporting that day. They were shown in long lines at an airport, wearing facemasks and with their luggage.
“Further deportations are scheduled in the coming days,” the agency said.
The operation, dubbed “Eagle Flush”, was prompted after “actionable intelligence” was received, the EFCC said.
Of the 192 arrested in the sting, 148 were Chinese, it added.
It is the second swoop on foreigners suspected of involvement in cybercrime over the last year.
Nearly 800 suspects, including 148 Chinese and 40 Filipino nationals, were arrested last December in what authorities called an organised network in which foreigners collaborated with Nigerian recruits to carry out romance and cryptocurrency investment scams.
The EFCC has linked the surging cybercrime cases in Nigeria to rising unemployment, the quest for quick wealth among youths, a large informal economy and weak regulatory frameworks.
Last year, Instagram owner, Meta, removed thousands of accounts in Nigeria that were trying to target people in online sextortion schemes.
Such scammers typically pose as young women online to trick people into sending sexually explicit material before blackmailing them.
The company said it also took down 5,700 Facebook groups in which scammers were offering tips on how to scam people.
Experts and authorities have previously warned social media users to remain aware and alert of the scam’s dangers amid their apparent rise.