The inability to secure legal representation by the 109 foreigners charged cybercrime stalled their planned arraignment yesterday before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The foreigners, who are said to be citizens of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Malaysia and Myanmar, were recently arrested by the police in their residence at plot 1906, Cadestral Zone 807, Katampe District of Abuja, where they were said to be engaging in cybercrime by allegedly promoting “a fraudulent and unregistered gaming platform.
In a six-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/599/2024 filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the foreigners were charged with cybercrime, money laundering and unlawfully residing in Nigeria.
When they were brought to court, the prosecution indicated its readiness for the arraignment of the defendants.
Justice Ekerete Akpan noted that the defendants were not represented by any lawyer, a development that promoted the judge to reschedule the arraignment for November 22 to enable the foreigners secure the services of lawyers.
It was alleged in one of the counts that they did aid, abet, conspire among themselves “to commit an offence, to wit; cybercrime and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 27 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
They were also alleged to have “knowingly access a computer and network and input, alter, delete of suppress data resulting in inauthentic data with the intention that such inauthentic data will be considered or acted upon as If they were authentic or genuine and you thereby commit an offence contrary to and punishable under section 13 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
In another count, the 109 defendants alleged to have, “knowingly and without authority caused loss of property to persons in Nigeria and outside Nigeria when you caused the inputting and suppression of data by deceiving people to believe that the unregistered and gambling platforms they were marketing were authentic “for the purpose of conferring economic benefit on yourselves and you thereby commit an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14 (1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024)”
They were said to have, with intent to defraud, “did promote via electronic Messages on the internet, a fraudulent and unregistered gambling platform, materially misrepresenting facts about the said fraudulent gambling platform upon which reliance, persons in Nigeria and outside Nigeria suffered enormous economic losses and you thereby commit an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14 (2) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
They were alleged to have removed “from Nigeria proceeds generated from operating a fraudulent and unregistered gambling platforms, namely: 9f.com, c2.top, 8pg.top and you thereby commit Money Laundering, contrary to and punishable under section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The defendants were also accused of entering “the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a business permit of 30 days duration and failed, or neglected to leave the Nigerian territory at the expiration of the said permit and remained in Nigeria without a valid resident permit or appropriate valid visa and you thereby contrary to section 4 (2) and punishable under section 44 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 2015.”
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