PH to provide legal assistance to 11 Pinoys jailed in Nigeria

The Philippine government will assist the 11 Filipinos who were jailed in Nigeria for alleged "cyber-terrorism and internet fraud," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Sunday.

“Our Embassy is working on the case. They will be provided legal assistance,” De Vega told GMA News Online.

On Saturday, the Agence France Presse reported the Filipinos were among 15 foreigners who were arrested, which include two Chinese, one Malaysian and one Indonesian.

They were each sentenced to one year in prison by a Lagos court and fined one million naira (about $630) after they pleaded guilty, said Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesman Dele Oyewale.

They were accused of recruiting young Nigerians for "identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality."

The Philippines has an embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and a consulate in Lagos. —RF, GMA Integrated News