In a landmark ruling delivered on Friday, Justices Yellin Bogoro and Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced 15 foreign nationals, including 11 Filipinos, two Chinese, one Malaysian, and one Indonesian, to one-year imprisonment each for their involvement in cyber-terrorism and internet-related fraud.
The convicts, brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, were arraigned separately on charges relating to the possession of fraudulent documents.
They all entered guilty pleas upon arraignment.
The individuals convicted include: Winnie De Jesus, Kayceelynn Remorin, Irish Chna, Darwisa Esmael, Kimberly Nisperos, Savien Cire Renovilla, Zeng Zerong, Guo Bin, Jessa Sanchi, Jhena Sarmiento, Rain Torida, Rex Jose Dilag (aka Madison), Tan Soon Kar, Fernando Fu Fang, and Beverlyin Gumayo (aka Veb Sumayo).
One of the charges against them read, “That you WINNIE DE JESUS sometimes in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court will fully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain a financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3) (d) of the Terrorism (Prevenion, Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Another charge stated, “That you KAYCEELYN REMORIN on or about December 18, 2024 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organised to seriously destabilise the economic and social structure of Nigeria (which prohibits and prevents cyber and related crimes) when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
A further charge against Remorin added, “That you, KAYCEELYN REMORIN, Sometime in December 2024 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court, with the intent to gain a financial advantage for your employer fraudulently impersonated one ‘ANASTACIA LIM’ by holding yourself out as such, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) and 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.”
Following the guilty pleas and plea bargain agreements with the EFCC, prosecution counsel N.K. Ukoha, T.J. Banjo, and N.C. Mutfwang urged the court to convict the defendants accordingly.
GGranting the prosecution’s prayers, Justices Bogoro and Owoeye sentenced each convict to a year in prison along with a N1 million fine.
The court further directed the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to facilitate the repatriation of all 15 convicts to their respective countries within seven days after serving their terms.
