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Nigeria has struck a significant blow against international cybercrime syndicates, deporting more than 100 foreign nationals convicted of orchestrating sophisticated online fraud schemes that have bilked victims worldwide out of millions through fake romance and cryptocurrency scams.
The mass deportations signal Africa's most populous nation is no longer willing to serve as a safe haven for foreign criminal networks that exploit its cybersecurity weaknesses to prey on unsuspecting victims across America, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced Thursday that it deported 102 foreign nationals, including 60 Chinese and 39 people from the Philippines, who were convicted of "cyberterrorism and internet fraud," according to Al Jazeera and news agencies.
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EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale later told the AFP news agency that another group of 39 Filipinos, 10 Chinese and two people from Kazakhstan had also been deported since August 15. More deportations are scheduled in the coming days.
The deportees were among 792 suspected cybercriminals arrested in a single operation in the affluent Victoria Island area of Lagos in December. At least 192 of those arrested were foreign nationals, of whom 148 were Chinese, the EFCC said.
The crackdown targets romance-based cryptocurrency investment fraud operations. The announcement comes as the country steps up a crackdown on online scam operations, which lured victims through online romances to hand over cash for fake cryptocurrency investments.
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According to the agency, foreign gangs recruit Nigerian accomplices to find victims online through phishing scams. The scams target mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans, the EFCC said.
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The recent mass arrests and deportations demonstrate Nigeria's renewed commitment to dismantling these international criminal operations.