Interpol-led operation across Africa don lead to di arrest of 1,462 suspected cybercriminals, including citizens from Nigeria, Uganda, Angola and Tanzania, as authorities dismantle 10,909 harmful networks and recover more dan 105 million US dollars wey cybercriminals bin obtain illegally.
Dem call di operation Operation Serengeti III. Law enforcement agencies from 21 countries carry am out between 29 June and 31 August 2026 to fight cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion.
Authorities identify 65,929 victims wey cybercriminal networks bin dey target. Financial investigations also link di criminal activities to losses of more dan 385 million US dollars, Interpol tok.
According to Interpol, di operation come as dia African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2026 show say cyber threats for Africa dey change fast-fast. Di report tok say artificial intelligence dey help cybercriminals carry out dia activities across di continent well-well, as di amount of money wey pipo and organisations dey lose to cyber-enabled fraud and crime continue to dey rise.
Bifor di operation, investigators from 20 African countries and di United States get actionable intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure wey dey linked to criminal activity.
Interpol Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton tok say: “Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.” E add say Operation Serengeti III dey reinforce clear message say while cybercrime dey increasingly borderless, international cooperation remain one of di most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm.
Operation Serengeti III get support from private-sector partners to disrupt cybercriminal networks wey dey operate across Africa. Dem provide intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise, and help authorities identify targets, map criminal networks and support investigative activities across di region, Neal Jetton tok.
For Uganda, Interpol tok say authorities dismantle two transnational fraud rings and arrest 365 foreign nationals wey get links to one sophisticated online investment and pension fraud schemes wey dey target victims across Asia. Investigators expose one rotating call-centre model wey dey use scripted communications, fake trading platforms plus fraudulent websites to deceive pensioners to invest for opportunities wey no dey exist.
For Angola, authorities dismantle two illegal cryptocurrency mining centres. Dem arrest nine suspects and seize more dan 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices plus six illegal power transformation stations. Interpol tok say di seized electrical infrastructure alone dey valued at more dan one million US dollars.
