By Nick Griffin
While the problem of South American criminal gangs continues to worry millions of Americans, another immigration source is helping another imported crime syndicate to spread its tentacles through America. The Nigerian Black Axe gang is less visible than the South American operations facing high-profile clamp-downs by the Trump administration, but it is every bit as dangerous.
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Also known as the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, the Black Axe is a sophisticated transnational criminal organization originating from Nigeria. Initially formed in the 1970s at the University of Benin as a student confraternity inspired by the anti-apartheid movement, it has evolved into a global criminal network involved in cyber fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crime.
The Black Axe is often referred to as a “cult” in Nigeria due to its secretive initiation rituals and intense member loyalty. The gang is estimated to have around 30,000 members operating in cells across dozens of countries, leveraging Nigeria’s large diaspora, particularly from the state of Edo, to expand globally.
In Nigeria, Black Axe is notorious for street-level violence, including murder, rape, and extortion, particularly in cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Benin City. Fatalities linked to gang violence have reportedly doubled since 2019. The gang recruits primarily young male university students through a brutal initiation process known as “bamming,” fostering a culture of fear and loyalty.
Recruits, generally aged between 16 and 23, undergo a secret initiation ceremony that involves physical and psychological trauma including being stripped naked, tortured and having to take part in a blood-drinking ritual, after which they are “reborn” as an “Aye Axeman.”
The gang’s criminal portfolio is diverse and highly profitable, spanning cybercrime, financial fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering. The spread of the group in Britain, Ireland, Holland and Italy has been connected with a rise in gang-related violence, while the success of a number of police operations in European countries has highlighted the scale of Black Axe activities.
A 2017 Canadian investigation uncovered a Black Axe-linked money-laundering scheme worth over $5 billion.
The gang’s expansion in the UK has accelerated in recent years, driven by its sophisticated cybercrime network and the Nigerian diaspora. Black Axe operates discreetly, often under the radar, laundering astronomical sums through the UK financial system.
A 2020 operation by Ireland’s Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, which uncovered Black Axe activities, revealed connections to the UK, where the gang has recruited young people, including British teenagers, via social media for money laundering and drug running.
The gang is responsible for a significant portion of global cyber-enabled financial fraud, costing victims, particularly in the U.S., an estimated $5 billion annually. Common scams include romance fraud, inheritance scams, ransomware, and phishing attacks. The gang uses advanced technology, including cryptocurrency and money-transfer software, to launder funds through complex networks.
Black Axe has attracted less attention in the U.S. compared to South American gangs like MS-13 or Mexican cartels due to several factors. Unlike South American gangs, which are often associated with high-profile violence such as street shootings, drug cartel wars, and territorial disputes that garner media attention, Black Axe operates more discreetly, focusing on cybercrime and financial fraud that are less visible to the public. These activities, while costly, often lack the brutal violence that draws mainstream media coverage.
Additionally, Black Axe’s operations are heavily transnational, with much of its leadership and coordination based outside the United States, particularly in Nigeria and Europe, making it harder for U.S. authorities to prioritize compared to domestic or border-related threats from South American gangs.
Despite this, Black Axe poses a significant and growing threat to the U.S. due to its aggressive expansion and sophisticated operations. The FBI identifies Nigerian criminal enterprises, with Black Axe as a leading player, as among the most expansionist international crime groups, operating in over 80 countries.
The gang’s financial fraud schemes cost the U.S. $1-2 billion annually, targeting individuals through elaborate online scams. Victims, often misled through romance or investment fraud, suffer significant financial losses, with some forced to sell homes or take out large loans. The gang exploits the Nigerian diaspora in the U.S., recruiting or coercing migrants into money-laundering schemes or using them as intermediaries in drug trafficking.
Joint operations by the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and Interpol have led to arrests of over 35 Black Axe members in the United States for multi-million-dollar fraud schemes. The gang is a major player in international drug trafficking, particularly heroin distribution in the U.S. and cocaine trafficking through South America.
Recent immigration trends have facilitated Black Axe’s global spread. Edo State, the gang’s stronghold, produces 70% of Nigeria’s international migrants.
The U.S. is a favored destination for Nigerian migrants, either on student visas or as asylum-seekers supposedly fleeing ethnic or religious conflicts. The number of Nigerian-born immigrants in the U.S. has grown steadily, from 277,000 in the mid-2010s to 476,000 by 2023, with an average annual growth rate of 4.8%.
The Trump administration’s policies, particularly the 2020 travel ban and ongoing deportation efforts, have slowed this growth to a degree. Unfortunately, the overall trend remains upward due to persistent economic turmoil and violence in Nigeria, and the established Nigerian diaspora in the United States. Despite talk of “mass deportations,” as of November 2024, ICE had only issued 3,690 Nigerian citizens with final removal orders.
If the United States is to stop the spread of the Black Axe’s quiet gang crime epidemic, a lot more will have to go than that. Nigeria has one of the highest birth rates in the world, so efforts to warm up America’s demographic winter through immigration will inevitably increase the pressure to import more Nigerians. It’s a door that should be slammed shut, and then very firmly bolted.
Nick Griffin is a British nationalist commentator and writer. He was chairman of the British National Party (BNP) from 1999 to 2014, and a Member of the European Parliament for North West England from 2009 to 2014. Since then, Griffin has remained active in British politics despite being vilified for criticizing rampant immigration into the United Kingdom. Contact: t.me/NickGriffin.
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