The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, on Friday, June 13, 2025, sentenced four foreign nationals and eight Nigerians to various jail terms for their roles in a transnational cybercrime syndicate.
The convicted foreigners — Reyna Mae Eriba, Chyna Samonte, Zara Fabian, and Dominique Medina, all citizens of the Philippines — were arrested in December 2024 during a large-scale raid on a suspected cybercrime hub located on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Lagos.
The convicted persons were among 729 individuals apprehended in what authorities described as a coordinated offensive targeting a Ponzi and cyber-terrorism network operating within and outside Nigeria.
The ruling was presides over by Justice Yellim Bogoro, the court found the defendants guilty of multiple cyber-related offences, including cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and money laundering — marking a significant legal milestone in Nigeria’s crackdown on digital financial crimes.
The eight Nigerian convicts were identified as; Chidera Ezechukwu, Favour Oluchukwu, Egwenum Ifeanyi, David Okezie, Gbenga Shittu Solomon, Ibraheem Olamilekan, Chinecherem Michael and Oghomienor Jotham.
All 12 were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and pleaded guilty to the charges.
One of the charges against Chyna Samonte alleged that she “willfully accessed computer systems with the intent to destabilise Nigeria’s economic and social structures by employing Nigerian youths for identity theft under the guise of foreign nationals.”
Her action was found to be in contravention of Section 18 of the Cybercrimes Act (2015, as amended in 2024) and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another instance, Nigerian national Chidera Ezechukwu was accused of retaining ₦12.75million in a personal bank account suspected to be proceeds of an online romance scam — a violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Bogoro approved the EFCC’s application—led by prosecuting counsels Anita Imo, S.I. Suleiman, H.U. Kofarnaisa, and B.M. Isah—that all recovered items including cash, vehicles, laptops, and mobile phones be forfeited to the Nigerian government.
For their roles in the offences, the four Filipino nationals were sentenced to one year in prison and fined ₦1million each.
Additionally, the court directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to deport them within seven days of completing their prison terms.
The Nigerian convicts were each handed a one-year jail sentence with an option of a ₦500,000 fine.