Germany Arrests Suspected Members Of Nigerian Dating Mafia

As the reports says, Germany arrests members of Nigerian dating mafia called the Black Axe Mafia group.

According to German authorities, the arrested suspects are members of a group that is involved in a variety of criminal activities around the world.

The German police have apprehended 11 Nigerian citizens who have been identified as members of the Black Axe mafia group, which is responsible for a large-scale international dating scam.

The arrests occurred during a nationwide coordinated operation on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, when law enforcement officers raided 19 properties, including both homes and asylum shelters, according to a statement from the Bavaria police. The suspects were all Nigerian citizens, ranging in age from 29 to 53.

According to the police, the Black Axe gang engaged in a variety of criminal activities around the world, with a particular emphasis on romance scams and money laundering in Germany.

The dating trick used by the group was described as a modern form of marriage fraud.

“Using false identities, the fraudsters for example signalled their intention to marry and in the course of further contact repeatedly demand money under various pretexts,” the law enforcement officials said.

The money was then wired to Black Axe in Nigeria through financial agents.

The gang used a “commodity-based money laundering” scheme in which products, often with a seemingly “charitable purpose,” were purchased and delivered to Nigeria, according to the Associated Press.

More than 450 cases of romance scamming were reported in Bavaria alone in 2023, with damages totaling 5.3 million euros ($5.7 million), according to police. The German police described the Black Axe gang as a group with various territorial units and strict hierarchical structures led by Nigerians.

It is believed that the group had a significant impact on politics and public administration, particularly in the West African country.

Globally, the gang’s main areas of operation were said to be human trafficking, fraud, money laundering, prostitution, and drug trafficking.

Black Axe operated under the guise of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, a supposedly charitable organization that served as “camouflage” for the gang’s structures.

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