Interpol arrest 75 Black Axe cultists across 4 continents in just 5 days
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A swoop on cybercriminals by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) across four continents has led to the arrest of 75 members of Black Axe, one of Nigeria’s biggest and most deadly cult groups.
Interpol disclosed in a report it coordinated the global operation, codenamed ‘Operation Jackal’, specifically to track Black Axe activities and arrest the masterminds.
The operation involved 14 countries across four continents from 26 September to 30 September 2022.
Black Axe is “rapidly becoming a major security threat worldwide,” Interpol said in the report.
“Black Axe and similar groups are responsible for the majority of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud as well as many other serious crimes, according to evidence analysed by Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) and national law enforcement.
“In South Africa alone, the two suspects arrested were wanted for online scams that extracted USD 1.8 million from victims.
“In Italy, the Carabinieri made three arrests in Campobasso within the framework of the operation.”
In the course of the operation, Interpol said, 49 properties were searched, 75 arrests were made, and €1.2 million intercepted in bank accounts.
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New investigative leads
“The immense quantity of assets seized, including 12,000 SIM cards, have provided new investigative leads for law enforcement, generating 13 analytical reports and allowing police to identify more than 70 additional suspects,” the report added, per Vanguard reporting.
“The lavish lifestyles and greed of many suspects – allegedly paid for by defrauding members of the public of their savings and other criminal activities – was on clear display at the scenes of their arrest.
“Various luxury assets were seized, including a residential property, three cars and tens of thousands in cash.”
Need for global response
“Illicit financial funds are the lifeblood of transnational organised crime, and we have witnessed how groups like Black Axe will channel money gained from online financial scams into other crime areas, such as drugs and human trafficking,” said Stephen Kavanagh, Interpol Executive Director of Police Services.
“These groups demand a global response.”