By Sunday Ameh
Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving a sharp rise in cybercrime across Africa, with Nigeria identified as both a major target and a significant source of cybercriminal activities, according to Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.
The report, released on Monday, revealed that AI now plays a role in 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across the continent, enabling criminals to launch faster, more sophisticated and harder-to-detect attacks.
Interpol noted that Nigeria, alongside South Africa, South Sudan and Namibia, recorded a significant number of data breaches between January 2024 and September 2025. It also identified Nigeria among African countries most affected by ransomware attacks targeting healthcare institutions, utility providers and public service platforms.
The report described Business Email Compromise (BEC) as the financial engine of transnational cybercrime, with West Africa emerging as the continent’s most active region for such attacks.
According to Interpol, Nigeria recorded 5,822 ransomware detections in 2025, reflecting its dual role as both an origin and a target of cybercrime.
The organisation added that cybercriminals are increasingly using AI to create highly convincing phishing emails capable of mimicking executives’ writing styles, internal corporate language and signatures to deceive victims.
TrendAI data cited in the report showed that 70 per cent of BEC detections in 2025 originated from South Africa, while 29 per cent came from Nigeria.
Interpol further disclosed that Nigerian cybercriminal networks have become central to international money laundering operations, allegedly routing illicit funds through cryptocurrency exchanges, shell companies and mobile payment platforms.
The report also highlighted the rapid growth of cryptocurrency-related fraud across Africa, noting that the continent recorded $205 billion in crypto transactions between July 2024 and July 2025, with Nigeria accounting for $92 billion of that volume.
Despite Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) policy requiring SIM cards to be linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN), Interpol said cybercriminals had adapted by exploiting weaknesses in Know Your Customer (KYC) processes and using AI to register SIM cards with false identities.
The global policing body urged African countries to strengthen cybersecurity frameworks, improve intelligence sharing and enhance law enforcement collaboration to counter the growing threat posed by AI-enabled cybercrime.
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