Nigeria has dealt a heavy blow to international cybercrime syndicates, deporting more than 100 foreign nationals convicted of orchestrating elaborate online fraud schemes that defrauded victims worldwide of millions of dollars through fake romance and cryptocurrency scams.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed that 102 foreign nationals—including 60 Chinese and 39 Filipinos—were deported after being found guilty of what it described as “cyberterrorism and internet fraud.”

News outlets, including Al Jazeera, report that the mass deportations underscore Nigeria’s growing resolve not to serve as a safe haven for transnational criminal networks.

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale told AFP that another group—39 Filipinos, 10 Chinese, and two Kazakhs—had also been deported since August 15, with further removals planned in the coming days.

The deportees were among 792 suspects arrested in December during a sweeping operation in the upscale Victoria Island district of Lagos.

At least 192 of those arrested were foreign nationals, of whom 148 were Chinese, the EFCC noted.

Investigators say the crackdown focuses on romance-based cryptocurrency fraud, a scheme in which victims—mostly in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe—are lured through fake online relationships and persuaded to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency ventures.

According to the EFCC, these foreign syndicates recruit Nigerian accomplices to help locate and groom targets via phishing and social engineering tactics.

The mass arrests and deportations highlight Nigeria’s renewed determination to dismantle global scam networks, protect its own cybersecurity infrastructure, and restore international confidence.