Nigeria Leads Africa in Cybercrime Arrests: Interpol’s Operation Red Card Busts 306 Suspects

Interpol’s Operation Red Card has struck a powerful blow against cybercrime in Africa, with Nigeria topping the list of arrests in a multinational crackdown.

Spanning November 2024 to February 2025, the operation targeted cyber-enabled financial crimes, apprehending 306 suspects and seizing 1,842 devices across seven African countries: Nigeria, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia.

From mobile banking scams to investment fraud and messaging app schemes, these crimes impacted over 1,500 victims, prompting a robust response from international and local law enforcement.

Nigeria led the charge with 130 arrests, including 113 foreign nationals implicated in sophisticated cyber fraud. The suspects were tied to large-scale scams such as online casinos, investment fraud, romance scams, cryptocurrency schemes, and fake investment ploys.

Authorities confiscated 26 vehicles, 16 houses, 39 plots of land, and 685 electronic devices, exposing the vast resources fueling these illicit operations. This crackdown highlights Nigeria’s central role in both perpetrating and combating cybercrime on the continent.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spearheaded efforts in Nigeria, unveiling a syndicate of foreign nationals orchestrating fraudulent schemes.

These criminals recruited young Nigerians, equipping them with training and tools like computers and smartphones to execute internet fraud. Unveiled in a major December 2024 operation, this network exploited local talent to power global cybercrime, amplifying the scale and reach of scams targeting unsuspecting victims worldwide.

A troubling revelation emerged from Interpol’s findings: some arrested individuals may be victims of human trafficking, forced into cybercrime under duress.

This discovery complicates enforcement efforts, as authorities must distinguish between willing perpetrators and coerced participants. It underscores the need for a nuanced approach that tackles both the criminals and the underlying exploitation driving these illegal activities.

The operation coincides with heightened pressure on Nigerian banks to curb financial losses from fraud. A Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) report revealed that Nigerian banks lost ₦10.1 billion ($6.7 million) to fraud in Q3 2024, a 76.4% drop from the prior quarter.

The growing sophistication of fraudsters continues to test advanced security measures, emphasizing the critical timing of Operation Red Card’s interventions.

Beyond Nigeria, the operation netted significant results across Africa. In Rwanda, 45 suspects were arrested for social engineering scams, having defrauded victims of over $305,000 in 2024 by posing as telecom employees to steal banking details.

Authorities recovered $103,043 and seized 292 devices. In South Africa, 40 individuals linked to SIM box fraud, a method of converting international calls to local ones for SMS phishing, were detained, with over 1,000 SIM cards, 53 desktop computers, and additional equipment confiscated. Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Zambia also contributed to dismantling these pervasive cyber networks.

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