Operation Serengeti: Interpol arrests over 1000 'sakawa' suspects in Ghana, 18 other African countries

More than 1000 suspects have reportedly been arrested by Interpol from 19 African countries, including Ghana, for engaging in cybercrime, popularly known as ‘sakawa’.

The suspects were arrested in an operation dubbed Operation Serengeti, conducted by Interpol with the help of Afripol — the African Union’s policing organisation — which targeted people suspected of cybercrimes, including those using ransomware, digital extortion, online scams, and phishing schemes on the African continent.

The operation, which was held from September 2, 2024, to October 31, 2024, targeted persons identified as prominent threats in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report, including criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and online scams, graphic.com.gh reported.

The 18 other African countries the suspects were arrested from are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The operation found that the suspects stole about $193 million from more than 35,000 victims from across the world.

The Secretary General of INTERPOL, Valdecy Urquiza, touting the significance of the operation, indicated that it has helped save thousands of victims from future scams.

He indicated that the mode of operation of the fraudsters was very sophisticated and included credit card fraud on an industrial scale.

“From multi-level marketing scams to credit card fraud on an industrial scale, the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern.

“Operation Serengeti shows what we can achieve by working together, and these arrests alone will save countless potential future victims from real personal and financial pain. We know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will continue targeting these criminal groups worldwide,” he is quoted to have said.

For his part, the Executive Director of Afripol, Ambassador Jalel Chelba, said that Operation Serengeti has helped enhance the ability of the security agencies of African countries to fight cybercrime.

“Through Serengeti, AFRIPOL has significantly enhanced support for law enforcement in African Union Member States. We’ve facilitated key arrests and deepened insights into cybercrime trends. Our focus now includes emerging threats like AI-driven malware and advanced attack techniques,” he said.

BAI/AE

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