The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced the arrest of nine people in Nigeria in an international operation targeting cybercriminal networks accused of defrauding Americans.

FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed this in a post on X, saying the operation, codenamed Blackout, also led to the seizure of 53 electronic devices and the identification of $11 million in potentially freezable funds across several countries.

Patel said the targeted networks operated scam centres that exploited victims, stole their life savings and carried out fraudulent activities across international borders.

“Operation Blackout is taking the fight directly to the international cybercriminal networks stealing billions from Americans,” he said.

He commended Nigerian law enforcement agencies and their partners in London for their cooperation in the operation.

Patel warned cybercriminals operating overseas that law enforcement agencies would pursue them, declaring: “JUSTICE WILL FIND YOU.”

The operation formed part of a broader international crackdown on online scam networks in West Africa, coordinated with law enforcement agencies and private-sector partners.

The US Department of Justice said the wider effort resulted in 28 arrests across Nigeria and Ghana, the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices and the removal of more than 3.7 million fraudulent online accounts, pages and groups.