INTERPOL has arrested a Nigerian suspect linked to an alleged $2.4 million international fraud carried out through messaging apps, with proceeds allegedly moved via cryptocurrency deals. The arrest was announced in a statement on Thursday, October 22, 2026, as part of “Operation Serengeti III”, one of Africa’s largest cybercrime enforcement actions. The operation ran between June 29 and August 31, 2026 and involved law enforcement from 21 countries. INTERPOL said the crackdown focused on cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion. Investigators disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and recovered more than $105 million in illicit funds during the operation. In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect behind a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation. Investigators said it harvested software credentials and amassed about 2.1 million email addresses. Police also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected of being bought with criminal proceeds. Ahead of the operation, INTERPOL said investigators received actionable intelligence on suspicious domains, IP addresses and command-and-control infrastructure tied to criminal activity. It also said private-sector partners supported the effort with intelligence, technical analysis and operational expertise to help map criminal networks and identify targets. The countries participating included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe. INTERPOL’s latest update describes the case as an arrest under investigation, with the wider operation continuing as authorities pursue remaining targets linked to the alleged cybercrime activity.