Interpol, Afripol Arrest 1,006 Cybercrime Suspects in Nigeria, Others

By Adedapo Adesanya

The International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol, alongside the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (Afripol) in a joint operation across Nigeria and 18 other African countries have arrested 1,006 suspects and dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks involved in cybercrime.

The efforts tagged Operation Serengeti commenced on September 2 and ended on October 31, 2024. It targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and online scams – all identified as prominent threats in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report.

More than 35,000 victims were identified during the operation, with cases linked to nearly $193 million in financial losses worldwide.

Interpol said Nigerian authorities arrested a man accused of running online investment scams, where he made at least $300,000 by luring victims through messaging platforms with false promises of cryptocurrency returns.

Information provided by participating countries of ongoing cases with Interpol fed into 65 Cyber Analytical Reports that were produced to ensure actions on the ground were intelligence-led and focused on the most significant actors.

Speaking on the operation, Mr Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of INTERPOL, said, “From multi-level marketing scams to credit card fraud on an industrial scale, the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern.

“Operation Serengeti shows what we can achieve by working together, and these arrests alone will save countless potential future victims from real personal and financial pain. We know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will continue targeting these criminal groups worldwide.”

Adding his input, Mr Jalel Chelba, Afripol’s Executive Director said: “Through Serengeti, Afripol has significantly enhanced support for law enforcement in African Union Member States. We’ve facilitated key arrests and deepened insights into cybercrime trends. Our focus now includes emerging threats like AI-driven malware and advanced attack techniques.”

Apart from Nigeria, operations were carried out in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.