Nigeria has recorded two major arrests in a sweeping global cybercrime operation that uncovered over $2.4 million in suspected illicit funds.
The International Criminal Police Organisation, INTERPOL, said the arrests were part of Operation Serengeti III, a multinational crackdown that saw 1,462 suspects picked up across 21 countries between June 29 and August 31, 2026.
In one case, Nigerian investigators tracked a suspect behind a sophisticated phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) ring. The suspect was said to have harvested software login credentials and stockpiled about 2.1 million email addresses for fraud. A luxury vehicle believed to have been bought with proceeds of crime was recovered from him.
The second arrest involved an international investment fraud promoted via messaging apps. INTERPOL said financial trails linked the scheme to more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, a large chunk of which was laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
INTERPOL did not name the suspects.
The operation, which focused on cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, BEC, online scams and digital extortion, led to the disruption of 10,909 malicious networks and the recovery of over $105 million in illicit funds.
According to the organisation, 65,929 victims were identified, with total losses from the criminal networks estimated at over $385 million.
Operation Serengeti III was supported by private-sector partners who provided intelligence, technical analysis and operational support to trace criminal networks and advance investigations.
INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, Neal Jetton, said the results show why cross-border collaboration is critical.
“Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm,” Jetton said.
INTERPOL added that investigations are still ongoing to identify more suspects, trace illicit proceeds and analyse seized digital evidence.
Nigeria joined 20 other countries in the operation, including Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
