A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced twelve Filipino nationals to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud offenses. Justice Yellin Bogoro delivered the judgment on Friday, May 23, 2025, following guilty pleas entered by all defendants.
The convicted individuals are Anjeanette Topacio, Gladys Joy Mag-Iba, Jean Calago, Shairah Mae Reyes, Roseann Gonzales, Lari Jane Tayag, Mary Grace De La Cruz, Krystel Aquilesca, Jonilyn Agulto, Paizza Camara, Vivian Pionella, and Jonalyn Mendoza. They were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate charges of possession of fraudulent documents.
The charges against the defendants revealed sophisticated cybercrime operations targeting Nigeria’s economic and social infrastructure. One of the charges against Anjeanette Topacio stated that she “willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain a financial advantage.”
The prosecution detailed how the defendants recruited Nigerian youths for identity theft schemes, with the intent of presenting themselves as foreign nationals to gain financial advantages. The charges were brought under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Another charge against Shairah May Reyes revealed the extent of their fraudulent activities, showing that she “had in your possession a document containing false pretense, printed from your Telegram, wherein you posed to be a lady, living in the UK, which representation you knew to be false.” This charge was brought under the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
All twelve defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read in court. Following their guilty pleas, the prosecution counsel, N.K. Ukoha and H.U. Kofarnaisa, requested that the court convict the defendants as charged, in accordance with a plea bargain agreement they had entered into with the EFCC.
Justice Bogoro imposed a sentence of one year imprisonment on each defendant, along with a fine of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira) each. The court also issued additional orders to ensure the defendants face consequences beyond their prison terms.
In a significant directive, Justice Bogoro ordered the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, to ensure that all convicted individuals are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days upon completion of their sentences. This order emphasizes the court’s intention to prevent the convicts from remaining in Nigeria after serving their terms.
The judge also ordered that all devices recovered from the defendants during their arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. This forfeiture order aims to prevent the tools used in their cybercrime operations from being returned to criminal use.
The case highlights the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to combat international cybercrime networks operating within Nigeria’s borders. The conviction of foreign nationals for cyber-terrorism charges demonstrates the commission’s commitment to addressing threats to Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and economic security.
The sentences serve as a warning to international cybercrime syndicates that Nigeria’s legal system will pursue and prosecute foreign nationals who engage in activities designed to destabilize the country’s economic and social structures. The case also underscores the global nature of cybercrime and the need for coordinated international efforts to combat such threats.
