Justice Ekerete Akpan of the Federal High Court Abuja has ordered that the 109 foreigners linked to high-level cybercrimes, hacking, and activities threatening national security be remanded in Kuje and Suleja correctional facilities until the next adjourned date.
Justice Akpan made the order based on the request by the counsel for the defendants on grounds that the police facility where they are being kept wasn’t conducive for the number of suspects.
The suspects’ arraignment was also stalled due to issues of misrepresentation of names of the suspects on the charge sheet and issues of counsel representation.
Counsel to some of the defendants, Ogwu Onoja, told the court that there was need to have interpreters who will be present in court during proceedings for the sake of those who do not understand spoken English.
Counsel to the Brazilian defendants, Eric Oba, also asked the court to separate his clients from other defendants, but the court declined, noting that arraignment had not been done.
After listening to the submission of the lawyers in the suit, the trial judge adjourned the case to November 29, for arraignment.
Before the latest delay, the arraignment was also stalled on the last adjourned date due to the non representation of the suspects in court.
Justice Ekerete Akpan had made an adjournment to enable the defendants be availed a lawyer and to ensure that the lawyers are properly briefed in the matter.
The group which are to be arraigned on a 6 count charge bothering on cyber crime includes 113 foreign nationals, comprising of 87 men and 26 women, mainly from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Philippines and Malaysia, as well as 17 Nigerian collaborators.
The suspects were arrested on November 3, 2024 after a strategic operation was conducted through a coordinated raid at Jahi area in Abuja, where the suspects were allegedly using computers and other sophisticated devices to facilitate criminal activities.
Part of the count read that the suspects did enter 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 which is in contrary to section 4 (2) and punishable under section 44 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 2015.
Another count stated that the suspects within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court 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).