The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, November 22, ordered the remand of 109 alleged foreign hackers accused of attempting to defraud Nigerians.
The defendants, identified as citizens of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Malaysia, and Myanmar, are facing a six-count charge filed by the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
Justice Ekerete Akpan directed that the male defendants be held at Kuje prison in Abuja, while the female defendants were ordered to be detained at Suleja prison in Niger State until their arraignment. The matter was adjourned to next Friday to allow the defendants to enter their pleas.
On the same day, five of the Brazilian defendants requested a separate trial, expressing concerns for their safety. Their counsel, Eric Oba, informed the court that the Brazilians—Lucas Costa Da Silver, Renan Ricardo Souza Rocha, Nelson Rocha Cardoso Neto, Rhuan Filippe Albuquerque Le Lonnes, and Aguiar Rodrigues Djeanne—feared for their lives after making extra-judicial statements that reportedly angered their co-defendants. Oba stated, “The other defendants developed ill-feelings for them after the statements. My clients are afraid for their safety and will wish to be allowed to remain at the police facility.” He also applied for the defendants’ passports to be returned to the Brazilian government, noting that their employer had seized them upon their arrival in Nigeria.
Separately, James Onoja, SAN, representing the remaining defendants, asked the court to postpone their arraignment, citing discrepancies in their names on the charge sheet. He argued, “My lord, I believe that it behoves on the defendants to provide their travel documents so that their proper names will be reflected on the charge sheet. We think that the arraignment cannot happen this morning as scheduled. This application is brought in good faith and we urge my lord to grant it.”
The prosecution counsel, A. A. Egwu, supported the adjournment but highlighted the challenges of accommodating the defendants, saying, “My lord, we are currently overwhelmed. We don’t have the facility to keep all the defendants. The learned silk representing the defendants can confirm this. Our operation has been shut down.” Onoja confirmed this, adding, “I went there yesterday, and my lord, I saw them (defendants) sitting around, under the staircase, everywhere. It was not healthy at all. They (police) don’t have the facility for the volume of people I saw there yesterday.”
The court directed the prosecution to ensure that the defendants provide their travel documents for verification and allowed Oba to formally apply for the severance of the trial of the Brazilian defendants. The accused were arrested at a building in Katampe District, Abuja, where they were allegedly engaged in cybercrime.
The charges against them include cybercrime, money laundering, and illegal residence in Nigeria. According to the police, the defendants conspired to commit cybercrime, causing financial losses through fraudulent activities on unregistered gambling platforms, including 9f.com, c2.top, and 8pg.top. They are accused of promoting these platforms via electronic messages, misrepresenting them as legitimate, and transferring proceeds out of Nigeria. The prosecution also alleged that the defendants violated the Immigration Act by overstaying their permits without obtaining valid resident visas.
This high-profile case has attracted significant attention as authorities work to address cybercrime and related offenses in Nigeria.
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