FBI arrests nine suspects in Nigeria and targets $11 million
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The FBI has arrested nine suspects in Nigeria as part of Operation Blackout against international online fraud networks, seized 53 devices and identified $11 million that could potentially be frozen. FBI Director Kash Patel praised co-operation from Nigerian authorities and partners in London.
The FBI has arrested nine suspects in Nigeria as part of Operation Blackout targeting international online fraud networks, Kash Patel, the director of the US federal bureau, announced. The operation also led to the seizure of 53 electronic devices and the identification of $11 million in funds that could be frozen in several countries, according to Patel, quoted by the US Mission in Nigeria.
The wider operation, co-ordinated from London, led to 28 arrests in Nigeria and Ghana, according to the US Department of Justice. It involved Meta and 14 other technology companies, which removed more than 3.7 million fraudulent accounts, pages and groups linked to fraud networks in West Africa.
In Ghana, 19 people were arrested and 117 victims, who were allegedly forced to work in a residential complex used as a scam centre, are awaiting repatriation to Nigeria, according to reports cited by Vanguard. The FBI praised the co-operation of Nigerian law enforcement and partners in London.
The operation is part of increased co-operation between Washington and Abuja against cybercrime. On 26 October, the FBI had already announced nine arrests in Nigeria and the seizure of 53 devices.
