INTERNATIONAL Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has confirmed the arrest of over 300 people linked to one of West Africa’s most feared criminal networks – Black Axe.
In the mission tagged “Operation Jackal III”, Interpol said the highly-coordinated cybercrime gang was behind several crimes including some of the global financial fraud facilitated by cyberspace.
Interpol described the operation as a “major blow” to the Nigerian criminal network and warned that the technological expertise and global reach of the Black Axe made it a menace to the world.
In a report by the BBC, a senior Interpol official, Tomonobu Kaya, said the “Black Axe are very organised and very structured,” and are known for money laundering, using cryptocurrency.
Originally from Nigeria, Black Axe is known for its involvement in trafficking, prostitution, and cyber-enabled financial fraud.
Operation Jackal III led to the seizure of $3 million of illegal assets and more than 700 bank accounts being frozen, the report said.
In 2022, Interpol revealed that the “Black Axe and similar groups were responsible for the majority of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud as well as many other serious crimes”.
Experts have argued that West African nations to take proactive steps to address the underlying causes of these criminal behaviours.
The West Africa Regional Coordinator for the Institute for Security Studies, Oluwole Ojewale, noted that it is “the general failure of governance” that fuels recruitment into organisations like Black Axe and other criminal groups.