Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 431 Phones Linked to Chinese Cyber-Fraud Operators
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of 431 mobile phones linked to convicted Chinese cyber-fraud operators to the Federal Government.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos issued the forfeiture order on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, following an application filed by the EFCC through its counsel, Hannatu Kofarnaisa.
The court had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order on July 8, 2026, directing the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested person or entity to show cause why the phones should not be permanently forfeited.
While presenting the application for final forfeiture, Kofarnaisa told the court that the Commission had complied with the directive by publishing the notice in The Guardian newspaper on August 11, 2026.
She said no individual or organisation came forward to challenge the proposed forfeiture within the period stipulated by the court.
The application was supported by an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, Christopher Augustine, who detailed the Commission’s findings during its investigation.
According to the affidavit, the 431 mobile phones were linked to a cyber-fraud operation allegedly involving Chinese and Nigerian youths at a facility known as “HK” in Victoria Island, Lagos. The facility was reportedly used to train and deploy Nigerian youths and foreign nationals for romance, investment and cryptocurrency fraud.
The affidavit stated that victims in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe were among the major targets of the alleged operation.
It further revealed that a sting operation conducted on December 10, 2024, resulted in the arrest of more than 700 individuals, including about 500 Nigerians, 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos and other foreign nationals.
The EFCC also linked Genting International Company Limited (GICL), allegedly controlled by Chinese national Huang Haoyu, also known as Ken, and other foreign nationals to the operation.
According to the Commission, Huang and GICL were subsequently charged with seven counts bordering on cyber terrorism, possession of fraudulent documents, failure to declare activities to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), illegal foreign exchange transactions and money laundering.
The EFCC said Huang and GICL pleaded guilty to the charges and were subsequently convicted and sentenced by the court.
The Commission argued that the 431 mobile devices were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and were therefore liable to forfeiture under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
After considering the EFCC’s submissions and the affidavit evidence before the court, Justice Dipeolu held that the application had merit and ordered the final forfeiture of the 431 mobile phones to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 431 Phones Linked to Chinese Cyber-Fraud Operators