By Correspondent in Abuja
The trial of 109 foreign nationals facing allegations of cybercrime, money laundering, and immigration violations was stalled on Wednesday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, due to the absence of the prosecuting counsel.
Our correspondent reports that the matter, which was slated for trial before Justice Ekerete Akpan, could not proceed after the lawyer representing the Inspector-General of Police failed to appear in court.
However, a letter from the prosecution had earlier been filed, informing the court that the counsel would be unavailable due to an official assignment, and requested an adjournment.
The Counsel to the defendants, Chief Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, opposed the application, urging the court to dismiss the request and proceed with the trial, citing relevant legal provisions to support his argument and insisted on continuing with the proceedings as scheduled.
Justice Akpan, however, noted that this was the first time such an application for adjournment had been made by the prosecution.
In the interest of justice, the judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to October 22 and 23, 2025 for trial.
The court had previously fixed July 2 for hearing after the initial date in May was vacated due to the judge’s official engagement.
On November 29, 2024, the 109 defendants, citizens of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Malaysia, and Myanmar,were admitted to N1 billion bail each, with five sureties required.
Each surety must possess landed property worth at least N200 million, and must submit original documents and international passports to the court’s deputy registrar.
The male defendants are being held at Kuje Correctional Centre, while the female defendants are detained at Keffi Correctional Centre in Nasarawa State, pending fulfillment of bail conditions.
The foreigners were arraigned on a six-count charge filed by the Office of the Inspector-General of Police in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/599/2024, including conspiracy to commit cybercrime, money laundering, and unlawful residency.
Our correspondent recalls that the defendants were arrested in 2024 at their residence in Plot 1906, Cadastral Zone 807, Katampe District, Abuja, where they were allegedly operating a fraudulent and unregistered online gaming platform.
In one of the counts, they were alleged to have conspired among themselves to commit cybercrime, contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
They also allegedly accessed computer networks with the intention of causing inauthentic data to be acted upon as genuine, an offence punishable under Section 13 of the same Act.
Furthermore, they were accused of removing from Nigeria, proceeds generated from operating the platforms: 9f.com, c2.top, and 8pg.top, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Another charge alleged that the defendants entered Nigeria on 30-day business permits and failed to depart upon expiration, contrary to Section 4(2) and punishable under Section 44(1)(c) of the Immigration Act, 2015.
All the defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
