The defendants—Huang Haoyu, Friday Audu, An Hongxu, and Gentting International Ltd—appeared before Justice Daniel Osiagor on a 12-count charge of cybercrime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Nigerian, two Chinese nationals, and their company before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged N3.4billion fraud and conspiracy to destabilise Nigeria’s economic structure.
The defendants—Huang Haoyu, Friday Audu, An Hongxu, and Gentting International Ltd—appeared before Justice Daniel Osiagor on a 12-count charge of cybercrime.
They pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Prosecutor Bilikisu Buhari informed the court that the offences were committed in Lagos in 2024. She alleged that the defendants conspired with one Dualiang Pan, who remains at large, to unlawfully access computer systems and organise schemes aimed at destabilising Nigeria’s economy.
They were accused of recruiting Nigerian youths to falsely represent themselves as foreign nationals.
Additionally, they allegedly procured one Chukwuemeka Okeke to retain $1.2 million in his crypto wallet, a sum linked to fraudulent activities.
Similarly, Alhassan Garba and Ifesinaci Jacobs were allegedly instructed to retain $1.3 million in their crypto wallets.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants kept ₦3.4 billion in the Union Bank account of Gentting International Ltd, which was also linked to fraudulent activities.
They reportedly transferred ₦106 million and ₦913 million to Dualiang Pan’s UBA account as part of the scheme.
The court heard that the defendants engaged in unauthorised foreign exchange transactions with Alhassan Garba, involving the dollar equivalent of ₦1.1 billion and ₦962 million, among other sums, without using the official foreign exchange market regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
According to the EFCC, these offences contravene Section 29(2) of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2004. They also violate Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act 2015 and Sections 18(2)(d) and 21(c) of the Money Laundering Act 2021.
Justice Osiagor adjourned the case to March 20 for the hearing of the defendants’ bail application.
He ordered that they be remanded in EFCC custody until a decision on their bail is reached.
Leave a Reply