Global crackdown uncovers $260m terror funds, swoops on 11 Nigerian suspects
In a stunning victory against terrorism financing, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has arrested 11 high-profile terror suspects in Nigeria as part of a sweeping global operation that exposed over $260 million in funds linked to extremist groups across Africa.
Codenamed Operation Catalyst, the massive sting — jointly coordinated with the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) — unfolded across six African nations: Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, and South Sudan.
Interpol said the Nigeria arrests marked a major breakthrough in tracking how extremist groups move, hide, and convert illicit money into weapons and recruitment tools. The coordinated operation targeted terrorism financiers and their enablers, combing through 15,000 individuals and entities suspected of aiding or funding violent organizations.
In all, 83 arrests were made, with 21 directly linked to terrorism-related crimes, 28 to money laundering and financial fraud, 16 to cyber-enabled scams, and 18 to the illicit use of virtual currencies. Over $600,000 was seized outright, while investigators traced the rest through complex crypto and cross-border banking networks.
In Nigeria, security and intelligence collaboration led to the capture of 11 key operatives believed to be behind cross-border financing and logistical support for insurgent activities. Interpol described them as “high-level members of several terrorist groups” who had used sophisticated digital channels to mask transactions and evade detection.
Elsewhere, in Angola, 25 individuals of multiple nationalities were arrested after police uncovered informal value transfer systems linked to possible terror funding and money laundering.
Interpol further revealed that the operation dismantled a cryptocurrency-based Ponzi network spanning 17 countries, including Nigeria, which defrauded more than 100,000 victims and raked in an estimated $562 million.
“This operation demonstrates the power of coordinated intelligence and cross-border cooperation in dismantling financial structures that fuel terrorism,” Interpol stated.
Security analysts say the arrests in Nigeria mark a critical win for Africa’s collective fight against terror, striking at the financial roots that sustain extremist groups. Investigations are ongoing, with Interpol hinting at more arrests and asset recoveries in the coming days.
With Nigeria once again at the center of a global counterterrorism success, Operation Catalyst stands as a resounding message to terror financiers: the world is closing in.
