LAGOS: Nigeria has deported dozens of foreigners, including 50 Chinese nationals, after dismantling what authorities described as one of the country’s largest foreign-led cybercrime networks.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Thursday that the mass deportation followed last week’s sting operation in Lagos, codenamed Operation Eagle Flush, which targeted a syndicate involved in internet fraud and cyberterrorism.
According to the EFCC, a total of 192 foreigners were arrested, including 148 Chinese nationals, during the coordinated raid. Of these, 102 convicted foreigners have now been repatriated, with more deportations expected in the coming days.
Photos released by the agency showed the convicts some wearing facemasks lined up at Lagos airport with their luggage as EFCC officials supervised their departure.
“This exercise is part of our sustained efforts to curb cybercrime in Nigeria, the agency said, stressing that foreign syndicates had been collaborating with local recruits to run online scams, including romance fraud and fake cryptocurrency investments.
Nigeria has long battled with internet fraud, popularly associated with Yahoo Boys. The EFCC says the growing wave of cybercrime is being fuelled by high unemployment, weak regulation, and the pursuit of quick wealth among young people.
Authorities say the latest crackdown mirrors a similar operation in December 2024, when nearly 800 suspects including 148 Chinese and 40 Filipinos were arrested for running online scams.
Global tech companies have also been tackling the problem. Last year, Meta took down thousands of Nigerian-linked Instagram accounts used for sextortion and dismantled more than5,700 Facebook groups teaching scamming techniques.
Security experts continue to urge Nigerians to be cautious online, particularly on social media platforms where scammers pose as young women to extort money and intimate content before blackmailing victims.
The EFCC maintained that cybercrime remains a national security threat and vowed to intensify its clampdown on both local and foreign syndicates operating in the country.
