By Desire Emmanuel
Eleven Nigerians were among 83 Africans arrested by the international police organisation, INTERPOL, across six African countries in the raids it described as “Operation Catalyst” between July and September this year.
INTERPOL announced the arrest on its website on Wednesday morning, saying while 11 Nigerians were arrested for terrorism financing, 25 were arrested in Angola for money laundering and three individuals were picked up in Kenya for money laundering and for recruiting people into terrorist groups.
Others were also arrested in Cameroon and two other countries for various criminal offences.
Of the 83 arrests, according to INTERPOL, 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 added: “Over the two-month operation, jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and African Police Organisation (AFRIPOL), authorities across participating countries screened more than 15,000 persons of interest and entities, uncovering around $260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies potentially linked to terrorism-related activities. Approximately $600,000 has already been seized, with additional investigations underway to trace and recover further assets.
“Operation Catalyst is the first time, financial crime, cybercrime and counter-terrorism units from multiple African countries have joined forces with INTERPOL and AFRIPOL to target the financing of terrorism. By sharing intelligence, expertise and resources, we can more effectively identify and disrupt the financial flows that support terrorist activities to stay one step ahead of these threats and keep our communities safe,” it said.
“In one significant case from Angola, 25 individuals of multiple nationalities were detained following investigations into informal value transfer systems that were identified as connected to potential terrorist financing and money laundering. The operation included the inspection of 30 commercial establishments, where police seized approximately $588,000, 100 mobile phones and 40 computers. Sixty bank accounts were also frozen.
“In Kenya, a suspected money laundering operation using a virtual asset service provider was identified as having potential links to terrorism financing. The scheme, worth approximately $430,000, involved 12 people, two of whom have so far been arrested.
“In a separate case in Kenya, two individuals were arrested for the online recruitment of young people from East and North Africa into terrorist groups. The funds used for the recruitment and radicalization were traced through a cryptocurrency trading platform, back to individuals in Tanzania.
“In Nigeria, the operation led to the arrest of 11 suspected terrorist financiers, including high-level members of several terrorist groups.
“One notable transnational case involved a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme, which claimed to be a legitimate online trading platform, affected at least 17 countries around the word, including Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria.
“The scheme accumulated more than 100,000 victims around the world, with an estimated loss to victims of $562 million. The investigations related to Operation Catalyst found that several large-valued wallets were potentially linked to terrorism financing activities. The case is still ongoing, with investigations currently in progress.”
