THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said it will provide legal assistance to 11 Filipinos jailed by Nigerian authorities over alleged cyber terrorism and internet fraud.
DFA Undersecretary Jose Eduardo de Vega said the Philippine Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, is already working on the case.
“The Embassy is monitoring their cases. Legal assistance will be provided, as usual,” de Vega said when asked for an update on the Filipinos.
On Saturday, Agence France Presse reported that aside from the Filipinos, Nigerian authorities also arrested two Chinese, an Indonesian, and a Malaysian for recruiting Nigerians for identity theft and to make it appear that they are persons of foreign nationalities.
The Filipinos and their colleagues were sentenced by a court in Lagos to a prison term of one year and to pay a fine of around $630 after they pleaded guilty to the offenses charged.
