The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has commenced deportation of 192 foreign nationals convicted of Internet fraud in the country. It was learnt that the first batch of 42 foreign nationals was deported yesterday, while another set will be airlifted to their different countries today and tomorrow.

In December last year, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 792 members of a syndicate over alleged crypto currency and romance scam fraud. The suspects were arrested at a seven-storey building in Victoria Island, Lagos. The foreigners were said to be using the building to “train Nigerians on how to initiate romance and investment scams.”

Members of the syndicate include 114 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Khazartans, one Pakistani and one Indonesian. The anti-graft agency had described the operation as the “largest single-day” arrest of Internet fraudsters in the country. The EFCC arraigned the suspects at the federal high court in Lagos.

In June, some of the foreign nationals were convicted by the court. The court also directed the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service to repatriate the foreigners to their countries of origin within seven days after completing the jail term. In July, EFCC secured the final forfeiture of digital assets worth $222,729 seized from some of the Chinese nationals arrested during the operation.