The arraignment of 113 linked to high-level cybercrime, hacking, and activities threatening national security of the country was Thursday adjourned to November 22 by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
All 113 of them comprising of 87 men and 26 women from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Philippines, Myanmar and Malaysia, as well as 17 Nigerian collaborators, are facing a six-count charge bordering on cyber crime, money laundering and unlawfully resident in Nigeria.
The trial judge, Justice Ekerete Akpan, pronounced the adjournment after discovering that their counsel representing the suspects was not court.
They are however to remain in Police custody till the next adjourned date.
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.
The operation which was led by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police for Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, AIG Benneth Igweh, , comprised officers of the Nigeria Police Force Zone 7 Command Abuja and the National Cyber Crime Centre.
They were apprehended in their residence at Plot 1906, Cadestral Zone 807, Katampe District of Abuja, where they were said to be engaging in cybercrime by allegedly promoting “a fraudulent and unregistered gaming platform.”
At the hearing on Thursday, the police counsel A.A. Egwu, expressed his readiness for the arraignment of the suspects.
But at that point, the presiding Judge observed that the defendants were without a lawyer.
Consequent upon the discovery, the Judge subsequently fixed November 22 for arraignment thereby giving the suspects ample time to get a lawyer to represent them.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/599/2024, filed in the name of the Inspector-General of Police, the suspects were alleged to have aided, abetted, conspired among themselves “to commit an offence, to wit; cybercrime.”
They were said to have commited the offence contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).
They were also alleged to have “knowingly access a computer and network and input, alter, delete of suppress data resulting in inauthentic data with the intention that such inauthentic data will be considered or acted upon as If they were authentic or genuine.”
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 13 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
Again, they were alleged to have removed “from Nigeria proceeds generated from operating a fraudulent and unregistered gambling platforms.
“These platforms are 9f.com, c2.top, 8pg.top and you thereby commit money laundering, contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The defendants were also accused of entering “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.”