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Since early 2025, Nigerian authorities have intensified their crackdown on cybercrime, leading to the arrest of hundreds of Chinese nationals linked to sprawling online fraud networks operating across the country.
In August alone, 60 Chinese nationals were among more than 100 individuals deported from Nigeria after being convicted of cyberterrorism and internet fraud. According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), many of those convicted were involved in online romance scams designed to lure victims into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.
“The fight against cybercrime is being pursued with renewed intensity, and we are working closely with international partners to dismantle these networks,” the EFCC said following further arrests in February.
In its prosecutions, the agency has argued that cybercrime poses a direct threat to Nigeria’s economic stability and social fabric.
The phenomenon is not limited to Nigeria. In recent years, dozens of additional Chinese nationals have been deported or imprisoned across Africa for cyber-related offenses, reflecting a pattern that has taken root on the continent.
In 2024, Angolan authorities arrested 46 Chinese nationals who were operating an illegal online casino from a hotel in Luanda, targeting players in Nigeria and Brazil. A year earlier, nine Chinese nationals were among fourteen suspects arrested in Namibia for running a “pork butchering” scam—an online fraud scheme that uses fabricated identities to entice victims into purchasing fake cryptocurrencies. The suspects were also charged with money laundering and human trafficking.
Zambia has likewise dismantled what the government described as a “sophisticated internet fraud network” involving 22 Chinese nationals who targeted victims via mobile phones and online platforms in Peru, Singapore, several African countries, and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite these cases, Nigeria remains the epicenter of Chinese-linked cybercrime operations in Africa. In late 2024 and early 2025, nearly 1,000 suspects—including 177 Chinese nationals—were arrested during coordinated raids in Abuja and Lagos.
Nigeria’s prolonged economic challenges have further complicated the fight against cybercrime. Inflation exceeding 30 percent, rising unemployment, and mounting public debt have strained state capacity and undermined public trust, according to Nigeria’s 2025 budget and economic outlook published by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Authorities say the dismantled cybercrime rings were structured like legitimate corporations. Raided facilities contained rows of computers, thousands of smartphone SIM cards, and training programs for Nigerians recruited to carry out online scams.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned that Africa has increasingly become a refuge for Chinese and other cybercriminal groups displaced by government crackdowns in Southeast Asia.
Interpol’s Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2025 underscores the scale of the challenge. Two-thirds of African member states surveyed said cybercrime accounts for a medium to high proportion of overall crime. In West and East Africa, cyber offenses represent roughly 30 percent of all reported crimes.
Interpol attributes growing vulnerability in part to the widespread adoption of smartphones, while noting that many African countries are still developing legal frameworks to combat cybercrime and have invested less in cybersecurity than other regions. Gaps in digital literacy further exacerbate the threat, particularly as mobile banking services continue to expand.
“Scammers rely heavily on social engineering techniques to compromise accounts and extract emergency funds from unsuspecting victims,” Interpol investigators wrote, noting that victims are often manipulated into revealing passwords and sensitive personal information.
Following late-2024 raids that led to the arrest of 148 Chinese nationals among nearly 800 suspects, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the operations demonstrated Nigeria’s resolve.
“Foreign nationals exploit Nigeria’s negative reputation—often perceived as a haven for fraudsters—to establish themselves and conceal their heinous criminal activities,” Olukoyede said. “These arrests send a clear message that Nigeria is taking the fight against cybercrime seriously.”
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