4 African Countries Flagged for Cybercrime as Interpol Makes 260 Arrests.

Interpol has arrested 260 people in a crackdown on online fraud across Africa, with four countries identified as key hotspots for cybercrime.

The operation, called Operation Contender 3.0, took place between July 28 and August 11, 2025, and involved security agencies in 14 African nations.

This is a growing threat online
The sweep focused on crimes such as romance scams and sextortion, which have been on the rise across the continent.

These schemes trick people into sending money or intimate content, which criminals later use for blackmail. Investigators reported that victims lost about $2.8 million, with some funds recovered during the operation.

Authorities also dismantled 81 cybercrime infrastructures and seized more than 1,200 devices, including laptops, phones, forged IDs, SIM cards, and USB drives used by fraudsters. Interpol said the arrests show how online platforms are increasingly being exploited by criminal groups to target vulnerable people, causing both financial and emotional damage.

Four hotspot countries that stood out Although arrests were made across several countries, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Angola were highlighted as major hubs where cybercrime networks were most active.

Ghana recorded the highest number of arrests, with 68 suspects taken into custody. Police also seized 835 electronic devices and traced $450,000 in losses linked to scams. Some $70,000 of this money was successfully recovered. Most of the schemes involved fake courier and customs stories used to trick victims into paying fees.

Senegal arrested 22 people accused of running a network that impersonated celebrities on social media. The suspects reportedly defrauded 120 victims of about $34,000. Police seized dozens of forged IDs, devices, and money transfer records.

APC Lawmaker Declared Wanted Over Alleged Fraud.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared Adamu Aliyu, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly representing Jos North-North constituency, wanted over allegations of fraud involving N73.6 million.

Aliyu, who serves on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared wanted by Justice Emeka Nwite on Friday after the court granted an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The court authorised the anti-graft agency to publish a “wanted person” notice for the lawmaker in national newspapers, across social media platforms, and through other public channels. The ruling further empowered law enforcement agencies, including the police and even private citizens, to arrest Aliyu and hand him over to the ICPC.

According to court documents, the case originated from a petition filed by businessman Mohammed Jidda, who accused the legislator of using a fake Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract to defraud him. Jidda alleged that Aliyu promised to help him secure an N850 million TETFund contract at the University of Jos. As part of the deal, the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under which Jidda agreed to pay N73.6 million once a contract award letter was issued. The MoU also stipulated that an additional N52 million facilitation fee would be paid to Imanal Concept Ltd, a company owned by Saad Abubakar, whom Aliyu presented as the facilitator of the contract.

Investigators said Aliyu later gave Jidda a document purporting to be a contract award letter from the University of Jos for the construction of an indoor sports hall valued at N500 million. Convinced by the document, Jidda transferred N73.6 million into two accounts provided by Aliyu — his personal Guaranty Trust Bank account and Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account. However, when Jidda approached the university to begin contract documentation, he discovered that no such project existed. The University of Jos later confirmed in writing to the ICPC that the purported award letter was forged.

The ICPC told the court that financial records confirmed the flow of funds: N47.8 million went into Aliyu’s personal GTBank account, N22.4 million into Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account, and N3.2 million directly to Aliyu. Despite repeated invitations — delivered through the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly and acknowledged on his WhatsApp line — the lawmaker allegedly failed to appear before investigators. The commission also said it received intelligence suggesting that Aliyu was planning to flee the country to avoid questioning.

Citing his refusal to honour lawful summons, the ICPC applied to the court for permission to declare Aliyu wanted, noting that the agency lacks constitutional authority to do so without judicial backing. The commission further requested an arrest warrant to enable law enforcement agencies, including INTERPOL, to intervene if Aliyu attempted to abscond abroad. Justice Nwite granted the application in full.

When contacted on Friday evening, Aliyu denied the allegations. He claimed he was unaware of the ICPC’s invitations until the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly informed him while he was in Saudi Arabia. He also denied forging the documents, insisting that they were obtained by Saad Abubakar and that his role was limited to delivering them to Jidda.

Nigeria Police Repatriate Wanted Notorious Chinese Gang Leader.

The Nigeria Police Force, in an operation executed through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja, has successfully repatriated a high-profile fugitive, Mr. Dai Qisheng, to the People’s Republic of China.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed in a statement on Sunday signed by Force Spokesperson, DCP Muyiwa Adejobi.

This decisive action, carried out in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB Beijing and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, underscores the Force’s unyielding commitment to its fight against transnational organized crime.

Dai Qisheng, a notorious gang leader wanted in Guizhou Province, China, for orchestrating and leading violent organized crimes, fled his home country in 2024 after a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Public Security Bureau of Zhijin County.

Determined to evade justice, he sought refuge in Nigeria. Operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja tracked, surveilled, and apprehended the fugitive in Abuja on 8th August, 2025.

Following his arrest, the fugitive was repatriated on 15th August, 2025 to Beijing under the established framework of police-to-police cooperation, coordinated by INTERPOL.

The statement added: “This operation not only reaffirms the Nigeria Police Force’s resolve to ensure that no fugitive finds a safe haven within Nigeria but also reflects the strength of international partnerships in addressing the increasingly complex threats of global crime networks.

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun Ph.D, NPM has reassured of the Nigeria Police Forces commitment to continuously improve on international alliances, leveraging intelligence-sharing and operational collaboration to ensure that borders never become barriers to justice.

“He emphasized that the arrest and repatriation of Dai Qisheng is a clear message to criminals worldwide that the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not be a hiding place for fugitives.”

Newsbrief: Police Repatriate ‘Wanted Gang Leader’ To China

The Nigeria Police, in collaboration with INTERPOL, have repatriated Dai Qisheng, a notorious gang leader wanted in China for violent organised crimes. Tracked and arrested in Abuja on August 8, 2025, he was repatriated to Beijing a week later under police-to-police cooperation.

Police described the operation as a landmark step in tackling transnational crime, stressing that Nigeria will not serve as a hiding place for fugitives.
#NigeriaPolice #INTERPOL #CrimeWatch #GlobalJustice

Interpol Rejects EFCC Wanted Alert Against Atiku’s Son-in-Law, Bashir Haske.

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has rejected a wanted alert issued by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Lagos businessman, Bashir Haske, describing the move as ‘politically motivated’.

In a statement on Friday morning, the France-based security body said it would not lend its network to advance cases with political undertones.

“Please note that Interpol has no plans to help member countries to advance politically-motivated cases,” the organisation said, stressing that its constitution explicitly forbids it from acting on requests that target individuals based on political, religious, racial or military grounds.”

“Please note that INTERPOL will only issue a Red Notice if it complies with the organisation’s rules and Constitution, which notably forbids INTERPOL from issuing a Notice on political, religious, racial or military grounds,” the statement added.

Interpol also noted that it was aware of Haske’s ties to Nigeria’s opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007 and was the main challenger to President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election. Mr Abubakar has recently played a central role in forming a new coalition ahead of the 2027 polls.

The EFCC, under its embattled chairman Ola Olukoyede, declared Mr Haske wanted on Thursday night, accusing him of money laundering despite an existing federal court order prohibiting such action. This newspaper gathered that the move was part of an effort to weaponise Haske’s marriage to Atiku’s daughter in the wider political battle for control of Nigeria’s state oil company, NNPC.

NAPTIP Alerts Interpol, Mulls ₦50m Bounty for Speed Darlington.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has escalated its pursuit of controversial entertainer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, by placing him on an international watchlist and alerting Interpol.

This move follows the artist’s repeated failure to honour summons over a viral video in which he claimed to have had s+x with a 15-year-old girl.

Despite being declared wanted on June 27 for alleged r+pe, cyberb¥llying, and cyberst+lking, Speed Darlington has remained defiant, insisting he committed no crime.

NAPTIP’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, confirmed that the agency is working with the Nigeria Immigration Service, police, DSS, and Interpol to locate and apprehend him. “We have followed the legal process and obtained a court order to watchlist him,” he said.

Officials say that a bounty of ₦50 million may be announced soon for information leading to Okoye’s arrest. “We’re finalizing with the legal department. Once the wanted status matures, we’ll move to the next stage,” a source said.

On its Instagram page, NAPTIP urged anyone with credible information about his whereabouts to call 07030000203 or email info@naptip.gov.ng.

In response, Okoye has mocked the agency online, calling the case a publicity stunt. In a video, he claimed, “There is no crime. All I did was speak,” and demanded ₦2.5 million and airfare as an “appearance fee.”

NAPTIP maintains that Okoye had been given multiple chances to appear, with invitations sent for May 30, June 2, and even accommodating his own proposed date of June 26, which he still ignored.

Adekoye warned, “If someone is declared wanted, they become a target globally. Wherever he is, he should turn himself in.”

Olukoyede Calls for Enhanced Inter-agency Collaboration against Trans-border Crimes
 
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has called for enhanced inter-agency collaboration in the fight against transnational crimes among the member states of West and Central African regions as well as adequate capacity building on the part of the personnel involved in the fight against such crimes.

He made the call on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at a three-day Regional Basic Training Workshop with the theme, “Strengthening Capacity and Coordination against Transnational Regional Financial Crimes,” organized by Interpol and Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA.

Commenting on the spate of crimes in the West and Central African regions and how criminal enterprises are funded, the EFCC boss noted that the security challenges in the regions are fueled by money laundering and illicit financial flows and pointed at a critical need for investment in training and capacity development of personnel in the fight against transnational crimes.
 
He stated that the poorly- regulated mining sector and largely cash-based economies of the West and Central African regions, coupled with increasing popularity  of a largely unregulated virtual assets ecosystem have compounded the regions’ vulnerability.

“Equally concerning are the evolving dynamics of organised cybercrime across our regions.  In Nigeria for instance, recent operations by the EFCC have revealed a notable shift, with an increasing number of syndicates involving foreign nationals, particularly from parts of the Southern Asian Continent.  Understanding how these groups work and are able to establish operational cells within our borders and effectively dismantling their global networks of collaborators necessitates a coordinated, multi-agency approach both locally and internationally.

“Doing this requires strengthening inter-agency coordination and enhancing the technical capabilities of law enforcement. There is a compelling need for collaboration by law enforcement organizations through intelligence sharing, joint tactical operations and training of the kind that we are having today to build capacity to deal with emerging typologies of cyber-criminality including cryptocurrency fraud and sextortion,” he said.

The EFCC Chairman added that through collaboration and coordination, law enforcement agencies can harness collective strength and resources in overcoming new challenges of criminality in the regions.

“As the president of NACIWA, my vision is to ensure sustenance of robust partnership by all the anti-corruption agencies in West Africa through training, joint operations and information sharing to make the region unsafe for money laundering and illicit financial flows. The EFCC believes strongly in capacity development and collaboration. The Commission maintains robust relationships with international and local law enforcement organizations,” he said.
The Chief Representative of JICA,  Susumu Yuzurio stated that JICA was implementing economic and social development projects in cooperation with partner countries around the world in areas of human security and contributing to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

“We are implementing economic and social development projects in cooperation with partner countries around the world, based on our guiding principle of human security. We aim at contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international common goals to realize a world where no one is left behind,” he said.

Yuzurio noted that transnational financial crimes, especially money laundering remained a critical financial flow which posed serious risks to national and regional security, adding that the three day training workshop serves as an avenue to strengthen collective capacity to detect, prevent and disrupt financial crimes through regional cooperation, policy development and practical skills