In a sweeping international crackdown, Interpol has arrested 300 individuals connected to Black Axe, a Nigerian-founded confraternity notorious for its global criminal activities.
The arrests were part of Operation Jackal III, a coordinated effort by Interpol that took place between April and July 2024, spanning 21 countries. According to a report by the BBC, this operation marks a significant step in dismantling the operations of the Black Axe network.
Tomonobu Kaya, a senior official at Interpol, emphasized the group’s sophisticated use of technology in their criminal activities. “They are very organized and very structured. These criminal syndicates are early adopters of new technologies… A lot of fintech developments make it really easy to illegally move money around the world,” Kaya stated.
The group’s technological prowess has enabled them to remain resilient on the global stage, posing a formidable challenge to international law enforcement agencies.
Operation Jackal III
Operation Jackal III, part of Interpol’s ongoing Jackal Operations, originally launched in Ireland, has uncovered the extensive reach of Black Axe, particularly in cybercrime and money laundering via cryptocurrencies. This operation, hailed by Interpol as a significant success, brought together law enforcement agencies from around the globe to target the vast network of Black Axe and its affiliates.
In November 2023, Irish police seized over €1 million in crypto-assets linked to Black Axe’s activities, highlighting the group’s heavy reliance on digital currencies for their illegal operations. Additionally, authorities seized $3 million in illegal assets and froze over 700 bank accounts during the raids.
These efforts have not only led to the arrest of numerous Black Axe members but have also resulted in the collection of critical intelligence, which has been compiled into a comprehensive database accessible to Interpol’s 196 member countries. This intelligence-sharing network is essential for understanding and countering the sophisticated strategies employed by Black Axe and similar criminal groups.
However, experts like Dr. Oluwole Ojewale from the Institute for Security Studies argue that prevention should be the primary focus.
“The emphasis must be on prevention, not just on operations against these criminal groups. It is the politicians who are actually arming these boys. The general failure of governance in the country has increased the pressure for people to be initiated into Black Axe,” Dr. Ojewale noted.
Black Axe
Originally founded as a confraternity at the University of Benin in Nigeria, Black Axe initially aimed to promote African culture and arts. However, it has since evolved into a global criminal syndicate involved in various illicit activities, including cyber-enabled financial fraud. Interpol has identified Black Axe as responsible for a significant portion of the world’s cyber-financial crimes. In one notable case, Canadian authorities uncovered a $5 billion money-laundering scheme linked to the group in 2017.
