Interpol dismantles Nigerian cybercrime mafia Black Axe

The International Criminal Police Organisation has arrested more than 300 people linked to one of West Africa’s most feared criminal networks, Black Axe, and other affiliated groups.

In a series of secret missions, dubbed “Operation Jackal III,” across 21 countries between April and July 2024, Interpol said the highly coordinated cybercriminal group was responsible for some of the world’s cyber-based financial fraud and many other serious crimes, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

While police described the operation as a “major blow” to the Nigerian criminal network, they also warned of its global reach and technological sophistication – making the Black Axe a global threat.

The report noted that Operation Jackal III had resulted in the seizure of $3 million in illicit assets and the freezing of more than 700 bank accounts.

Tomonobu Kaya, a senior official at Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, stressed the importance of financial technology and cryptocurrencies in the operations of cybercriminal organizations known for online scams that generate millions of dollars.

He said: “They are very organised and very structured. These criminal syndicates are early adopters of new technologies… Many fintech developments make it easy to move illicit money around the world.”

The Black Axe is a secretive criminal network that engages in human trafficking, prostitution and assassination operations around the world. However, cybercrime is the group’s largest source of income.

The report reveals that several members of the feared group have university degrees and were integrated into the group during their training.

A 2022 Interpol report states: “Black Axe and similar groups are responsible for the majority of cyber-based financial fraud worldwide, as well as many other serious crimes.”

Since 2022, there have been multiple so-called “Jackal” police operations. Dozens of members of the Black Axe and other gangs have been arrested and their electronic devices seized in these transnational raids.

In one example, Canadian authorities said in 2017 they had dismantled a money laundering operation linked to Black Axe worth more than $5bn (£3.8bn).

Dealing with highly sophisticated criminal organizations requires a high level of technological expertise and personnel.

Interpol announced that it has launched the Global Rapid Intervention of Payments system, allowing authorities in its 196 member states to freeze bank accounts around the world with unprecedented speed.

According to police, the mechanism was used to stop a $40 million fraud case targeting a Singapore company in July 2024.

Kaya noted: “We need to have data and collect our findings from these countries to get a picture of their modus operandi. If we can collect this data, we can take action.”

According to him, the Regional Coordinator for West Africa of the Institute for Security Studies, Dr. Oluwole Ojewale, blamed the government for its failure to tackle criminal groups such as the Black Axe among others.

He also said that politicians use the members of these syndicates for their own gain, by providing them with the means to defraud innocent people and commit other atrocities.

“The general failure of governance in the country has put pressure on people to get initiated (into the Black Axe). It is the politicians who are arming these boys,” he alleged.

Ojewale added that “the emphasis should be on prevention and not on outright operations against these criminal groups.”

In February 2024, President Bola Tinubu pledged more support to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to strengthen its capacity to tackle digital crimes.

He did so while decrying what he termed the “mislabelling and general stereotyping” of Nigeria as a country with the highest prevalence of cybercrime and other forms of corrupt practices among its people.

In November 2023, the Nigerian Senate expressed concern over the annual loss of $500 million due to various forms of cybercrime in the country.

It was warned that if the national cybersecurity programme is not effectively funded, the benefits of the digital economy will be negated.

The report also noted that Interpol’s Jackal operations originated in Ireland.

In 2020, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau identified 1,000 people with links to Black Axe and arrested several members, paving the way for the exposure of a much larger network.

GNECB Detective Sergeant Michael Cryan, who led the operation, said Ireland was experiencing an increase in money laundering as a result of the criminal activities of the Black Axe.

“They were very under the radar, very low-key. The amount of money laundered through Ireland was astronomical.

“Bank robberies are now being done with laptops – they are much more sophisticated. This is not a typical or everyday crime… People who are making decisions need to know how serious this is,” Cryan said.

He estimates that €200 million ($220 million; £170 million) has been stolen online in Ireland in the past five years and that is just the 20% of cybercrime that is believed to be reported.

In one operation, more than €1 million in cryptocurrencies were also seized, the report said.