Interpol has arrested 11 suspected leaders of terrorist groups in Nigeria as part of a continent-wide operation targeting terrorism financing and related crimes.
The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has announced the arrest of 11 suspected “high-level members of several terrorist groups” in Nigeria.
The suspects were among 83 individuals detained across six African nations — Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Sudan — during a two-month joint operation between Interpol and AFRIPOL, codenamed Operation Catalyst.
In a statement, Interpol said the operation focused on disrupting “terrorism financing and the illegal activity supporting it,” targeting more than 15,000 persons and entities of interest.
The global agency revealed that $260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies were uncovered as potentially linked to terrorism-related activities, while $600,000 was seized.
“Of the 83 arrests, 21 were for terrorism-related crimes, 28 were for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 were linked to cyber-enabled scams and a further 18 were related to the illicit use of virtual assets,” the statement read.
Interpol added that the operation exposed a cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme affecting at least 17 countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya, with victims losing an estimated $562 million.
Investigations into the transnational terror-financing networks remain ongoing.