00:00Nigeria High Court sitting in Lagos State has convicted and ordered the deportation of 12 Philippines or Filipinos after the Federal High Court found them guilty of engaging in the act of cyber-terrorism with intent to cause disruption to Nigeria economy.
00:14And another court in Lagos State has ordered the closure of a collective investment scheme firm, CJC Markets Limited, overt the firm failure to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC.
00:29Details of the reports as presented by the Public Relations Unit of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC reads verbatim below.
00:38Court jails 12 Filipinos for cyber-terrorism, internet fraud in Lagos.
00:43Justice Yellen Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Akoyi, Lagos, on Friday, May 23, 2025, convicted and sentenced 12 Filipinos to one-year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
00:58The convicts are, Anjanette Topasio, Gladys Joy Magiba, Jean Caligo, Shira May Reyes, Rosanne Gonzalez, Laurie Jane Tighe, Mary Grace de la Cruz, Crystal Aquilesca, Jonalyn Agalto, Paiza Camara, Vivian Pianella and Jonalyn Mendoza.
01:17They were arraigned on Friday by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on separate charges of possession of fraudulent documents.
01:29One of the counts reads, that you, Anjanette Topasio, sometime in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured,
01:50employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain a financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offense contrary to unpunishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes, Prohibition, Prevention, etc. Act.
02:092015, as amended 2024, and Section 2, 3, D, of the Terrorism, Prevention, Prohibition, Act.
02:192022.
02:21Another charge reads, that you, Shira May Reyes, sometime in December 2024, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, had in your possession a document containing false pretense, printed from your telegram,
02:35wherein you posed to be a lady, living in the UK, which representation you knew to be false, thereby committed an offense, contrary to Section 6, 8c, of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1, 3, of the same act.
02:56They all pleaded, guilty, to the charges when they were read to them.
03:00In view of their pleas, the Prosecution Counsel, N. K. Akova and H. U. Kofaneza, respectively requested that the court convict the defendants as charged, in accordance with the plea bargain they had entered into with the Commission.
03:14Justice Bogoro convicted and sentenced the defendants to one year imprisonment each, with a fine of 1 million nairas, 1 million naira.
03:22The judge also ordered the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Serviceness, Mrs. Kemi Nananandap, to ensure that the convicts are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days upon completion of their sentences.
03:37The devices recovered from the defendants were also ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
03:43The court winds up a legal capital market firm in Lagos.
03:48Justice C. J. Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Akoi, Lagos, on Thursday, May 22, 2025, ordered the winding up of a fraudulent collective investment scheme firm, C. J. C. Markets Limited, over failure to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC.
04:07He gave the order, following the arraignment of the company by the Lagos General Directorate II of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge, bordering on investment fraud on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
04:24A petitioner alleged that C. J. C. J. C. Markets Limited, sometime in January, collected the sum of 30 million nairas, 30 million naira, from one Whamilmanga, with a promise of a 30% return on investment, ROI.
04:39Investigation revealed that C. J. C. J. C. Markets Limited is not registered with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, or the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, to carry out capital market operations or collect investments.
04:55The count reads, that you, C. J. C. J. C. Markets Limited, being a company incorporated in Nigeria, Ihoa Chen, at large, and Akungbeni Dixon, at large, being the directors respectively, sometime in 2021 in Nigeria, within the judicial division of this Honorable Court, while carrying on your scheme of collective investment, failed to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 54.
05:24Section 54.1, of the Investment and Securities Act, 2007, and punishable under Section 54.6, of the same act.
05:34A guilty plea was entered for the company. In view of this, prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid El-Takur, called on Christian Chukwu, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.
05:47Chukwu, in his testimony, told the court that the Commission received a petition from Matthew Burkar and county legal practitioners on behalf of the petitioner, Magna.
05:57He also told the court that the Commission, during investigations, subsequently wrote letters to the United Bank of Africa, Uber, the CBN and SEC, and that they all responded.
06:09He added that the finance officer of the company, Mr. Kolawole Josiah, volunteered his statement, regarding the involvement of the company in the capital market.
06:20Thereafter, he identified the petition received, the letters written by the Commission to the SEC, CBN and Uber as well as the statement from the finance officer of the company.
06:31Takur then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents, which were all admitted and marked as exhibits by the court.
06:40The prosecution, thereafter, prayed the court to convict and sentence the company accordingly.
06:46Counsel to the defendant, Adini E. Komalafay, asked the court to wind up the said company.
06:52Justice Eneke convicted CJC Markets Limited as charged and ordered that it be wound up and delisted from the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.
07:01The company was wound up for running a fraudulent collective investment scheme firm, CJC Markets Limited, without registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC.
07:15Hostas who are on level, bringing you the news in a more digital world.
