13 potential members of a Nigerian mafia group have been arrested in western Germany. They are accused of having made a lot of money through love scams, human trafficking and forced labour.
Suspects arrested after raids
The police in Lower Saxony have struck a major blow against organised crime. After several raids targeting the Nigerian mafia, 13 suspects aged between 40 and 62 were arrested. The Oldenburg public prosecutor’s office is now investigating.
It is suspected that those arrested are members of a criminal gang that obtained money through so-called love scams. Human trafficking and forced labour are also believed to have been part of their criminal activities.
The criminal network of the ‘Black Axe’
Specifically, it is concerning a criminal brotherhood that calls itself the ‘Confraternity Black Axe’ or ‘Neo Black Movement of Africa’. The organisation could also be described as a kind of cult. It was founded in Nigeria in the 1980s and has since built up a large international network. The organisation’s structure is so complex that even international investigators such as Interpol were unable to see through it for a long time. A German private investigator says that the secret organisation can be thought of as a kind of ‘LinkedIn for criminals’. In their operations abroad, the members of Black Axe are involved in crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion and the management of prostitutes. The profits made from internet fraud and other criminal offences have in turn given rise to money laundering networks around the world.
Successful in cybercrime
Crimes on the World Wide Web are said to have earned the organisation several billion dollars. Many Black Axe members have become skilled cybercriminals who specialise in defrauding and extorting companies and private individuals.
The ‘love scam’ is often used to defraud individuals, with the perpetrators gaining the trust of their victims via dating platforms and social media. The scammers deliberately hope that their victims will develop feelings of love and affection. They often plan their scam over a period of weeks or even months. During the supposed relationship, there may be intimate conversations, the exchange of pictures or videos as well as regular messages and phone calls. This gives the victim the impression that the relationship is real. The perpetrators always pretend that the lover lives abroad and is longing for a face-to-face meeting. They ask for money for travelling expenses, visas or passports. New obstacles are always invented in order to obtain further payments – an actual meeting never takes place.
Abduction of Nigerian women to Europe
The ‘Black Axe’ and other Nigerian gangs mainly recruit girls and young women in Nigeria, often from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They lure their victims with false promises of job opportunities and a better future abroad. The perpetrators take over the entire logistics of illegal migration, including the procurement of forged documents and the organisation of travel routes. Once in Europe, the women are forced into prostitution to pay off the supposed debt for their journey. Control over the victims is maintained through physical violence, threats against them and their families.
An important milestone
On March 12th 2025, the officers searched several residential properties in Lower Saxony and Bremen as well as a workplace. They seized evidence and assets, including a mid-five-figure sum in cash. Three arrest warrants were issued and the analysis of further evidence strengthens the suspicion against a further suspect, for whom pre-trial detention was also requested.
The police assume that the suspects committed the offences over a period of several years. Since July 2024, numerous authorities have been involved in the investigation into the Black Axe, including officers from Bavaria, Eurojust and international law enforcement agencies. From a global perspective, the arrest of the 13 suspects is only a small success, but it is nevertheless an important milestone in the fight against organised crime.
Translated by Anna Smith
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