Interpol has arrested 300 individuals connected to one of West Africa’s most notorious criminal networks, Black Axe, and its affiliates, in a sweeping global operation, News About Nigeria reports.
The operation, dubbed Jackal III, involved coordinated raids across 21 countries between April and July 2024.
This large-scale mission, organised by Interpol, is a huge strike against the Nigerian crime network, though the agency warned that Black Axe’s global reach and technological sophistication continue to pose a serious threat.
Interpol’s Director of Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption, Tomonobu Kaya, said the organisation is very organised and structured, adding that the group remains a global menace due to its expertise in cyber-enabled financial fraud.
During the operation, authorities seized $3 million in illegal assets and froze over 700 bank accounts.
In addition to cybercrime, Black Axe is involved in various other criminal activities, including human trafficking and prostitution.
The organisation, which recruits many of its members from universities, has built a reputation for its secretive and ruthless operations worldwide.
Interpol’s continued efforts, including the deployment of the Global Rapid Intervention of Payments system (I-GRIP), aim to disrupt the network’s operations by freezing bank accounts quickly and preventing the illegal transfer of funds.
Despite the successes of Operation Jackal III, experts like Dr. Oluwole Ojewale, West Africa Regional Coordinator from the Institute for Security Studies, stressed that more focus should be placed on preventing the rise of such criminal groups in West Africa.
Nigeria, with its economic challenges and widespread poverty, remains a key recruitment ground for Black Axe.
The origins of Interpol’s crackdown on Black Axe trace back to Ireland, where a series of police raids in 2020 led to the arrest of several Black Axe members, exposing a much larger network.
Since then, Irish authorities have identified 1,000 individuals linked to the group and made hundreds of arrests related to fraud and cybercrime.
