Operation Blackout: FBI Arrests Nine in Nigeria, Seizes 53 Devices

Operation Blackout: FBI Arrests Nine in Nigeria, Seizes 53 Devices

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested nine suspects in Nigeria and seized 53 electronic devices in an international operation targeting cybercrime networks accused of defrauding victims, particularly in the United States.

The operation, code-named Operation Blackout, also led to the identification of approximately $11 million in funds across multiple countries that could potentially be frozen, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Patel disclosed the development in a statement published on his official X account on Sunday, October 25, describing the operation as part of efforts to dismantle international criminal networks accused of stealing billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims.

“Operation Blackout is taking the fight directly to the international cybercriminal networks stealing billions from Americans,” Patel said.

He added that the networks operated across national borders, exploiting victims and depriving them of their life savings.

“These scam centres exploit innocent victims, steal life savings, and operate across international borders believing they are beyond the reach of law enforcement. They’re wrong,” the FBI director stated.

Patel commended Nigerian law enforcement agencies and their partners in London for their cooperation, warning that suspects operating from overseas would not escape prosecution simply because they were outside the United States.

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The FBI has not publicly identified the nine suspects arrested in Nigeria or disclosed the specific locations where they were apprehended. Details of the individual allegations against them have also not been made public.

The arrests formed part of a broader international law enforcement campaign targeting online fraud networks operating across West Africa.

According to the US Department of Justice, the coordinated enforcement exercise involved agencies from Nigeria, Ghana, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, alongside private-sector technology and financial companies.

The wider operation resulted in 28 arrests, comprising nine in Nigeria and 19 in Ghana. Authorities in Ghana also seized 303 electronic devices, while the Nigerian operation accounted for the 53 devices seized.

Investigators and participating companies additionally helped identify more than 3.7 million fraudulent online accounts, pages and groups, which were subsequently removed or disrupted.

The US Department of Justice said the targeted schemes included law enforcement impersonation scams, digital arrest extortion, cryptocurrency investment fraud, commonly known as “pig butchering”, and other online fraud operations targeting victims across different countries.

The operation also uncovered human trafficking linked to scam activities in Ghana. Authorities there identified 117 people described as victims of trafficking who were awaiting repatriation to Nigeria.

Officials also identified 89 fraud victims in Ghana who suffered estimated losses of approximately $8.3 million, according to the US Justice Department.

The trafficking victims and fraud victims were identified as separate groups in the department’s account of the operation.

Although the FBI director announced that $11 million in potentially freezable funds had been identified across several countries, authorities have not confirmed that the entire amount has been frozen, seized or returned to victims.

The distinction is important because identifying funds that may be frozen does not mean that the money has already been recovered.

The crackdown highlights growing international cooperation against cyber-enabled fraud, with investigators increasingly working with technology companies and financial institutions to identify suspicious accounts, trace funds and disrupt the digital infrastructure used by criminal networks.

Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies have participated in several international investigations involving alleged online fraud. The latest operation adds to efforts to pursue suspects accused of targeting victims across national borders.

The FBI has not disclosed when the nine suspects arrested in Nigeria will appear in court or whether formal charges have been filed against each of them.

The allegations against the suspects remain subject to investigation and due process.