Africa-Press – Nigeria. Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals, Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, to 46 years’ imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The convicts were arrested alongside 790 others during a large-scale sting operation, codenamed “Eagle Flush Operation,” conducted by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 19, 2024, in Lagos. The operation targeted a syndicate allegedly involved in cryptocurrency, investment, and romance fraud.
Investigations revealed that Friday Audu allegedly incorporated Genting International Company Limited at the directive of Huang Haoyu to facilitate the fraudulent enterprise. The defendants were said to have recruited and employed Nigerian youths, instructing them to impersonate foreign nationals online to defraud unsuspecting victims.
They were arraigned alongside Genting International Company Limited by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC on a seven-count charge bordering on cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and money laundering involving N3,407,824,740.78 and $2,562,203.
One of the charges stated that the defendants conspired in 2024 to destabilise the economic and social structure of Nigeria by procuring Nigerian youths to falsely represent themselves as foreign nationals for financial gain, contrary to provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
The defendants initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, at the resumed hearing on February 11, 2026, counsel to Huang and Hongxu, Bridget Omateno, informed the court that her clients wished to change their pleas to guilty. Upon re-arraignment, both men pleaded guilty, while Friday Audu maintained his ‘not guilty’ plea.
Prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Bala-Buhari, told the court that two witnesses had already testified before the change of plea. She urged the court to impose the maximum penalty.
“We urge the court to apply the full weight of the law by imposing life imprisonment on counts one to three and 14 years’ imprisonment on counts four to seven,” she said.
She further requested that all items recovered during investigations be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Recovered items from four properties in Victoria Island and Ikoyi included 1,596 mobile phones, 2,120 office chairs, 544 office tables, 194 routers, 43 computer systems, a network server, 126 air-conditioning units, generators, vehicles, hundreds of mattresses and bunk beds, thousands of SIM cards across various networks, and numerous electronic devices and household items.
In his judgment, Justice Osiagor convicted and sentenced Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu to 46 years’ imprisonment each.
Proceedings continue in respect of Friday Audu, who maintains his innocence.
The EFCC described the conviction as a significant milestone in the fight against transnational cybercrime and economic sabotage.
For More News And Analysis About Nigeria Follow Africa-Press
