INTERPOL identifies Nigeria as both origin and target of African cybercrime operations
Nigeria has been identified as both a major target of cyberattacks and a key source of cyber-enabled financial crime in Africa.
Nigeria has been identified as both a major target of cyberattacks and a key source of cyber-enabled financial crime in Africa.
This is according to the INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, which highlights the country’s complex position in the continent’s rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
The report found that while Nigerian government agencies and businesses are increasingly being targeted by ransomware attacks, criminal networks operating from the country continue to play a prominent role in business email compromise (BEC) schemes and international money laundering.
The report highlighted Nigeria as one of Africa’s ransomware hotspots, recording 5,822 detections in 2025.
INTERPOL warned that cybercriminal groups operating from Nigeria have expanded beyond online fraud into sophisticated international money laundering operations.
The report cited attacks affecting the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), warning that cybercriminals are targeting institutions that provide essential government services.
Beyond ransomware, INTERPOL said Nigeria also continues to feature in Business Email Compromise (BEC), one of the world’s most lucrative forms of cyber-enabled financial fraud.
The INTERPOL findings reinforce growing concerns over the rising sophistication of cybercrime, particularly the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by criminal networks.
The state government said the initiative forms part of efforts to position Lagos as a secure and globally competitive digital hub, amid estimates that Nigeria loses about $500 million (approximately ₦250 billion) annually to cybercrime.
Cybersecurity is also receiving greater policy attention internationally including the Unites States.
Last month, the United States introduced a new global visa restriction policy targeting individuals involved in cybercrime, online investment scams and sextortion.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the move supports President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14390, which seeks to strengthen efforts against cybercrime, fraud and other predatory online schemes targeting Americans, reflecting the increasing international focus on dismantling transnational cybercriminal networks.
A separate finding by INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 shows that AI is now enabling 55% of reported cybercrimes across Africa.
This has made attacks faster, more scalable and increasingly difficult to detect.
The 40-page report reveals that financial losses from cybercrime across the continent more than doubled, rising from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025.
The assessment highlights the evolution of cybercrime from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem increasingly powered by artificial intelligence.
