The German police have apprehended 11 Nigerians accused of orchestrating a large-scale dating scam in the country. These individuals, alleged members of the Nigerian mafia group Black Axe, are known for their involvement in illicit activities worldwide. The arrests of the suspects, from various locations, were announced on Wednesday by the Bavarian City Police in a statement released to the press.
The Black Axe gang is implicated in "multiple areas of criminal activity" internationally, with a focus in Germany on dating scams and money laundering. The dating scheme they employed is described as a "modern form of marriage fraud" by the police. Using false identities, the fraudsters would feign an intention to marry and then repeatedly request money under various pretexts during further communication.
According to authorities, the money obtained through these scams was transferred to Black Axe in Nigeria "via financial agents." The gang also used a "commodity-based money laundering" strategy, where products were bought and sent to Nigeria, often under the guise of a "charitable purpose." In Bavaria alone, there were 450 reported cases of romance scams in 2023, resulting in damages totaling 5.3 million euros ($5.7 million).
The suspects, all Nigerian citizens aged between 29 and 53, were arrested during nationwide raids on Tuesday. Law enforcement officers targeted 19 properties, including homes and asylum shelters. The Black Axe gang is said to have "strict hierarchical structures under leadership in Nigeria," with significant influence in Nigerian politics and public administrations. Globally, the gang is involved in human trafficking, fraud, money laundering, prostitution, and drug trafficking. They operate under the guise of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, which serves as a "camouflage" for their criminal activities. This operation against Black Axe marks the first of its kind in Germany, according to the police.
