The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has announced that eleven high-ranking members of various terrorist organisations have been apprehended in Nigeria as part of a major international crackdown on terrorism financing and associated criminal activities.
The large-scale operation, codenamed Operation Catalyst, was conducted across six African countries between July and September 2025 and has been described as one of the most coordinated efforts against terrorism on the continent.
According to INTERPOL, the three-month exercise resulted in eighty-three arrests and the identification of one hundred and sixty persons of interest in Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, and South Sudan. In Nigeria, the operation led to the arrest of eleven suspected terrorists, including key figures believed to have played central roles in financing and coordinating terrorist operations. Investigators also uncovered a complex network of financial activities that allegedly supported terrorist movements through illegal transactions, online fraud, and cyber-enabled money laundering.
Law enforcement agencies reportedly screened more than fifteen thousand individuals and entities during the operation, uncovering about two hundred and sixty million dollars in fiat and virtual currencies suspected to be connected to terrorism financing. Approximately six hundred thousand dollars have already been confiscated, while further investigations continue to trace and recover additional assets believed to have been moved through cryptocurrency exchanges and converted into traditional currencies to conceal their origins.
The operation was jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), with support from financial crime and cybercrime units in participating countries. INTERPOL’s Secretary General, Valdecy Urquiza, said the initiative represented a groundbreaking step in Africa’s fight against terrorism financing. “Operation Catalyst is the first time financial crime, cybercrime and counter-terrorism units from multiple African countries have joined forces,” he said. “By sharing intelligence, expertise and resources, we can more effectively disrupt the financial flows that support terrorist activities and keep our communities safe.”
AFRIPOL’s Executive Director, Ambassador Jalel Chelba, commended the success of the collaboration, describing it as a strong demonstration of Africa’s unity against growing threats. “This joint endeavour, dedicated to disrupting the financing of terrorism, illustrates how coordinated action between Member States can address complex and evolving security threats,” Chelba stated.
As part of the broader operation, authorities in Angola detained twenty-five individuals and seized nearly five hundred and eighty-eight thousand dollars, along with over a hundred mobile phones and forty computers linked to illicit transactions. In Kenya, law enforcement dismantled a virtual asset laundering ring worth four hundred and thirty thousand dollars suspected to be tied to terrorist groups. Two people were arrested in connection with the case, while another investigation uncovered a separate scheme in which cryptocurrency was allegedly used to recruit young people into extremist networks operating across East and North Africa.
During the course of the operation, investigators also uncovered a large-scale cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme that had defrauded victims in at least seventeen countries, including Nigeria. The fraudulent network is believed to have siphoned over five hundred and sixty-two million dollars from unsuspecting investors. INTERPOL also disclosed that a Red Notice has been issued for a suspect allegedly responsible for a five million dollar cryptocurrency scam that was used to fund terrorism.
The entire operation was conducted under the ISPA programme, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, to bolster AFRIPOL’s capacity in combating transnational organised crime and terrorism. INTERPOL revealed that further investigations into the discovered financial networks are ongoing, with more arrests and asset recoveries expected in the coming weeks.
What You Should Know
Operation Catalyst marks a historic milestone in Africa’s collective fight against terrorism financing.
By integrating counter-terrorism, cybercrime, and financial crime units across six countries, INTERPOL and AFRIPOL have demonstrated the power of coordinated intelligence and enforcement in disrupting illicit financial systems.
The arrests in Nigeria highlight the nation’s growing commitment to global security partnerships and expose how terrorism has evolved to exploit digital currencies and online financial networks.
