The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of two suspects in Nigeria over separate cybercrime investigations, including a phishing and business email compromise operation linked to the collection of approximately 2.1 million email addresses.
The arrests were disclosed on Thursday in a statement published on INTERPOL’s website detailing Operation Serengeti III, a multinational crackdown on cybercrime conducted across 21 countries between June 29 and August 31, 2026.
According to INTERPOL, one of the Nigerian investigations led to the arrest of a suspect accused of operating a large-scale phishing and business email compromise scheme that harvested software credentials and about 2.1 million email addresses. Investigators also recovered a luxury vehicle suspected to have been purchased with proceeds of criminal activity.
In a separate Nigerian case, an investigation into an international investment fraud scheme advertised through messaging applications resulted in the arrest of another suspect.
INTERPOL disclosed that financial investigations into the investment fraud uncovered the movement of more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
The organisation did not disclose the identities of the two suspects or provide details on when they would be arraigned.
The Nigerian arrests formed part of Operation Serengeti III, which resulted in 1,462 arrests across the participating countries, the dismantling of 10,909 malicious networks and the recovery of more than $105 million in illicit funds.
INTERPOL said the operation also identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, while financial investigations linked the criminal activities uncovered to losses exceeding $385 million.
The multinational operation targeted a range of cyber-enabled crimes, including online fraud, ransomware attacks, business email compromise, digital extortion and other online scams.
Commenting on the operation, INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime, Neal Jetton, stressed the importance of international collaboration in tackling criminal networks that exploit digital technology across national borders.
“Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.
“Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm,” Jetton said.
