The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has arrested two Nigerians over alleged involvement in cybercrime operations, including a large-scale phishing scheme and an investment fraud involving approximately $2.4 million.
The arrests were made during Operation Serengeti III, a joint international crackdown on cybercrime conducted between June 29 and August 31, 2026.
According to Interpol, the operation involved law enforcement agencies from 20 African countries and the United States, targeting cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion.
The global operation resulted in the arrest of 1,462 suspects, the disruption of 10,909 malicious networks and the recovery of approximately $105 million in illicit funds.
In Nigeria, one suspect was arrested over an alleged phishing and business email compromise operation that reportedly harvested software credentials and collected approximately 2.1 million email addresses. Investigators also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected to have been purchased with proceeds of crime.
A second suspect was arrested in connection with an alleged international investment fraud scheme promoted through messaging applications. Financial investigations reportedly traced more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
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Beyond Nigeria, the operation led to several arrests and disruptions across the participating countries. In Uganda, authorities arrested 365 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in online investment and pension fraud schemes targeting victims in Asia.
Other operations included the dismantling of illegal cryptocurrency mining centres in Angola, the disruption of a fraudulent vehicle import network in Gabon and the arrest of suspects linked to cybercrime activities in the Republic of Congo.
Interpol said investigators received intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and digital infrastructure linked to criminal activities before the operation began.
The multinational crackdown highlights growing international efforts to combat cybercrime and trace illicit financial transactions across borders.
The allegations against the arrested suspects have not been presented here as proven criminal convictions.
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