Interpol Arrests 11 Terror Suspects in Nigeria after Sweeping African Operation
- Interpol confirms arrest of 11 suspected high-ranking terrorists in Nigeria under Operation Catalyst
- Joint Interpol–AFRIPOL operation uncovers $260 million in funds linked to terror financing
- Massive cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme tied to terrorism hits 17 countries with $562 million loss
The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has confirmed the arrest of 11 suspected high-ranking members of various terrorist networks in Nigeria.
The suspects were among 83 people apprehended across six African countries following a major international security crackdown codenamed Operation Catalyst.
Source: Getty Images
The two-month joint operation, conducted by Interpol and the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), spanned Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, and South Sudan. It focused on dismantling networks involved in terrorism financing and the criminal enterprises sustaining such activities.
Crackdown on terror-linked financial networks
Interpol revealed that more than 15,000 individuals and entities were profiled during the operation, which uncovered approximately 260 million dollars in both fiat and virtual currencies suspected to be connected to terrorism-related transactions.
Authorities also seized over 600,000 dollars during coordinated raids.
According to the organisation:
“Of the 83 arrests, 21 were for terrorism-related crimes, 28 were for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 were linked to cyber-enabled scams and a further 18 were related to the illicit use of virtual assets.”
One major success of the operation occurred in Angola, where 25 people of different nationalities were detained after security agencies uncovered an informal value transfer network believed to be facilitating terrorist financing and money laundering.
Source: Twitter
Police inspected 30 commercial establishments and seized about 588,000 dollars, 100 mobile phones, and 40 computers. Sixty bank accounts were also frozen as part of the ongoing investigations.
Cryptocurrency under global security watch
Interpol disclosed that in Kenya, security operatives exposed a money laundering operation involving a virtual asset service provider with suspected links to terrorism financing.
The scheme, valued at 430,000 dollars, led to the arrest of two suspects, while others remain under investigation. Another case in the country saw two individuals apprehended for online recruitment of young people from East and North Africa into terrorist groups.
Funds used in the recruitment were traced through a cryptocurrency trading platform to suspects in Tanzania.
The organisation said:
“In Nigeria, the operation led to the arrest of 11 suspected terrorists, including high-level members of several terrorist groups.”
One of the transnational cases uncovered during the operation was a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme that masqueraded as an online trading company.
The fraudulent platform reportedly affected victims in at least 17 countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya, leading to losses of about 562 million dollars from more than 100,000 victims.
Interpol confirmed that investigations into Operation Catalyst are still ongoing, as several digital wallets have been linked to terrorism financing networks across multiple countries.
Nigeria leads Africa in cybercrime arrests
Recently, Legit.ng reported that Nigeria had emerged as the country with the highest number of arrests in Interpol’s latest cybercrime crackdown, which dismantled criminal networks across seven African nations.
The international operation, known as Operation Red Card, led to the arrest of 306 suspects and the seizure of 1,842 devices between November 2024 and February 2025.
According to Interpol, the coordinated effort focused on cyber-enabled financial crimes, including mobile banking scams, investment fraud, and messaging app scams, which collectively affected over 1,500 victims.
Source: Legit.ng
