Court Remands 109 Chinese, Indonesia, Brazilian, Other Nationals  in Prison on Hacking Allegation

While instructing that the male defendants  be remanded at the Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja, trial Justice Ekerete Akpan  ordered that the females among them should be kept at Suleja prison in Niger State, pending their arraignment

The court subsequently adjourned the matter till next week Friday to enter the plea of the defendants to the charge.

The adjournment came after five Brazilians that were listed as part of the defendants in the charge, begged the court to conduct separate trial for them.

The accused Brazilian quintet- Lucas Costa Da Silver, Renan Ricardo Souza Rocha, Nelson Rocha Cardoso Neto, Rhuan Filippe Albuqverque Le Lonnes and Aguiar Rodrigues Djeanne- told the court that they were afraid that they could be harmed by the other defendants.

Speaking on their behalf, Counsel to the Brazilians, Mr. Eric Oba, told the court that his clients made extra-judicial statements to the police that their co-defendants were not happy about.

“The other defendants developed ill-feelings for them after the statements.

“My clients are afraid for their safety and will wish to be allowed to remain at the police facility,” Oba said.

Apart from notifying the court of their intention to apply for the severance of their case from that of the other defendants, Oba stressed that his clients’ passports were seized from them by their employer, after they arrived Nigeria.

He made an oral application for the passports to be returned to the Brazilian government.

Also, counsel to the other defendants, Mr. James Onoja, SAN, persuaded the court to shelve their planned arraignment, following what he observed as discrepancies in their names.

Onoja, SAN, discloses that some of the names that were given to the defendants were not their proper names.

Onoja, SAN, aligned himself with the request for the defendants to be transferred to a correctional center saying,“I went there yesterday and my lord I saw them (defendants) seating around, under the staircase, everywhere.

The court also gave the nod for the other defendants to produce their travelling documents for their proper names to be ascertained that most of them were arrested without their papers.

The Police had told the court that the defendants were arrested at a building situated at plot 1906, Cadestral Zone 807, Katampe District of Abuja, where they were said to be engaging in cybercrime.

The charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/599/2024, police, alleged that the defendants conspired among themselves “to commit an offence, to wit; cybercrime

They were also also charged for money laundering and an allegation that they were residing in Nigeria, illegally among others.