Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) launched a crackdown on cybercriminals on August 15. The commission said on Thursday that 102 accused criminals have been deported so far, including 50 Chinese nationals.
The Chinese suspects, along with a Tunisian, were arrested in a massive raid against a criminal syndicate in Lagos in December 2024. Almost 800 arrests were made on that day, including 193 foreigners, making it the largest action taken by the EFCC since it was established in 2002.
The raid targeted the Big Leaf Building, a seven-story building on Victoria Island in Lagos that served the gang as a “hustle kingdom,” a training center and operational headquarters for cybercrime.
According to EFCC, the foreign suspects were recruiting Nigerians and teaching them how to run romantic, investment, and cryptocurrency scams against victims in Europe and the United States. The arrests included 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two people from Kazakhstan, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.
Investigators seized a huge amount of computer equipment in the raid, including about 500 SIM cards for smartphones, which were used for phishing attacks. The gang’s operatives were allegedly taught to make contact with victims through platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram. The scammers were allegedly provided with social media profiles and accounts that allowed them to impersonate people in other countries.
One of the biggest scams allegedly running from the Big Leaf Building was a phony investment website called Yootoo.com, which bilked victims out of application and transaction fees. Nigerian recruits for the gang, authorities claimed, were trained to develop trusting relationships with prospective Yootoo members, then turn them over to expert foreign members of the operation once they were hooked.
“This current operation for us is an eye opener because of the large number of foreigners involved which is an indication that the perception of Nigerians as fraudulent people may not be true. We have a number of foreigners now coming to Nigeria to perpetrate frauds that are ascribed to Nigerians,” EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said at the time of the raid.
“This operation is a testament to our resolve to disrupt criminal networks and restore integrity to Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. The fight against cybercrime is critical to the Nigerian government’s broader agenda of improving security and fostering economic growth,” said EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede.
Nigeria has long been regarded as one of the worst hubs of online criminal activity in the world, eclipsed only by China, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Nigeria offers criminal recruiters a deep pool of people with information technology (IT) training, but very poor job prospects. Nigerian cybercriminals, who tend to be young and male, are colloquially known as “Yahoo Boys.” They often pose as women online while luring their victims.
On August 15, the Nigerian Immigration Service began deporting many of the foreign nationals arrested in December. EFCC posted photos of the suspects lining up for departure at the airport while wearing face masks.
“Further deportations are scheduled in the coming days,” the EFCC promised.
