More Than 1,200 Arrests in Cybercrime Breakthrough Across Africa
Aidan Ishaan Roman Bogan
Staff Writer
Between June and August 2025, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has made significant progress in its cybersecurity campaign in Africa. Under Operation Serengeti 2.0, major strides were made in tracking down and apprehending many cybercriminals working to undermine the stability of the international financial system. Taking the reins over the administration of digital economic institutions, INTERPOL and its African associates were able to shut down several large illegal cryptocurrency mining centers. As part of a larger effort to integrate Africa into the larger globalized network of cybersecurity, the operation has increased general confidence in the administration of the internet across the continent for many international observers. This has also lent credence to the potential of future operations through INTERPOL’s partnership with the International Cyber Offender Prevention Network (InterCOP). As to how this operation was able to make so much headway, TRM Labs reports that “INTERPOL investigators used actionable blockchain intelligence to expand the scope of Operation Serengeti 2.0 and move more quickly against cybercriminal infrastructure. Leads provided by TRM on ransomware and fraud activity in Ghana and the Seychelles gave authorities critical insights ahead of the operation.”
According to INTERPOL data, the operations were able to coordinate the arrest of 1,209 cybercriminals, the shutdown of 11,432 illegal digital infrastructure networks and the recovery of $97,418,228 USD by August 22. A coalition of 18 countries including Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte D’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe were able to work in conjunction with INTERPOL in order to get closer to an ideal enforcement parity with regard to cybersecurity. This willingness to cooperate spans between countries of varying levels of internal, social, political and economic stability, with the more impartial international system allowing for common ground for these states as equal partners.
A discovery made during Angola’s participation in Operation Serengeti 2.0 was the large presence of Chinese nationals who were active in cybercrime. As per The Record, “In Angola, police shut down 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining centers allegedly operated by 60 Chinese nationals. Authorities seized mining and IT equipment worth more than $37 million, along with illicit power stations that had been draining the country’s grid.” With the ease of access that digitized international markets have gained in Africa, the potential for foreign criminal interference and manipulation has been on the radar for many regional governments. The Chinese cybercrime problems of Angola have been identified in the past such as in an incident in late 2024 were many nationals were brought to justice for fraud, illegal online gambling and other illicit activities according to African Defence Forum. The multi-million scale of these illegal activities has drawn out new concerns from cybersecurity specialists who see the current state of legislative regulation and financial compliance as lacking in comparison to the rapid growth of internet infrastructure across the continent.
In Nigeria, 50 Chinese nationals were implicated and arrested in cybercrime activities, according to BBC. Ola Olukoyede, the executive chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, commented in December 2024 on the ongoing struggle to secure fair and legal financial practices in the country’s digital spaces, “Foreigners are taking advantage of our nation’s unfortunate reputation as a haven of frauds to establish a foothold here to disguise their atrocious criminal enterprises.” With the cooperation of INTERPOL, this recent round of arrests have been able to dismantle some of the largest foreign cybercrime syndicates in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa. In a country that has historically been a hotbed for scamming activities, the success of Operation Serengeti 2.0 has many officials embracing a more optimistic outlook for Nigerian cybersecurity.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.
