The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested nine suspects in Nigeria in a major operation targeting international cybercrime networks accused of stealing billions of dollars from Americans.
The operation, codenamed “Operation Blackout,” also led to the seizure of 53 electronic devices and the identification of $11 million in funds across multiple countries that authorities described as potentially freezable.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the development in a statement published on X on Sunday, highlighting the agency’s efforts to dismantle cross-border criminal networks responsible for online fraud.
According to Patel, the networks prey on unsuspecting victims, draining their life savings through sophisticated scams while operating across international borders in the belief that law enforcement cannot reach them.
“Operation Blackout is taking the fight directly to the international cybercriminal networks stealing billions from Americans,” Patel said.
He added that the operation demonstrated that criminal networks could not evade justice by exploiting international boundaries.
Patel also acknowledged the cooperation of Nigerian law enforcement agencies and their partners in London, describing their support as instrumental to the operation.
Nigeria’s Growing Cooperation with US Cybercrime Investigations
The latest arrests come amid a series of cross-border investigations involving Nigerians accused of participating in online fraud and cyber-enabled crimes.
In September, South African authorities handed over six Nigerians to FBI officials over allegations that they defrauded more than 100 women through a romance scam scheme.
In August, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) extradited two Nigerians to the United States over allegations involving the online sexual exploitation and sextortion of two teenage boys who later died by suicide.
The FBI had also announced the arrest of 22 Nigerians in August 2025 over alleged links to financially motivated sextortion schemes associated with a growing number of suicide cases involving American teenagers.
Operation Blackout underscores the continuing international effort to disrupt cybercrime networks, seize suspected criminal proceeds and strengthen cooperation among law enforcement agencies across borders.
However, the allegations against the suspects remain subject to the relevant legal processes, and arrests alone do not establish guilt.
TheCable — Nigeria
FBI arrests nine suspects, seizes 53 electronic devices in Nigeria operation
Covers the nine arrests, 53 devices and related cybercrime investigations.
