Ghana disputes FBI account of cybercrime raid, says operation was locally led

Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority has challenged the way the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation described a major operation against suspected cybercrime centres in the country, insisting that Ghanaian authorities led and coordinated the exercise.

The dispute followed a social-media post by FBI Director Kash Patel describing the Ghana operation as part of the FBI’s global Operation Blackout campaign against scam centres.

Ghana’s CSA said the local operation, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed within Ghana’s legal framework rather than being independently run by the FBI.

Ghana acknowledges FBI intelligence support

The CSA did not deny FBI involvement.

It acknowledged intelligence support from the FBI and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency but said the public description should accurately reflect Ghana’s operational leadership.

Other participants included Ghana’s National Security Council, Police Criminal Investigations Department, Immigration Service, Office of the Attorney-General and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The CSA stressed that foreign law-enforcement agencies cannot independently exercise police powers or carry out arrests inside Ghana.

It therefore asked the FBI to clarify its public description and recognise the contributions of Ghanaian institutions and other international partners.

Eight suspects arrested, 120 potential trafficking victims rescued

According to the Ghanaian account, the operation uncovered suspected cybercrime centres in parts of the Greater Accra Region.

Authorities said eight suspects were arrested, while 120 people believed to have been trafficked and exploited for online fraud were rescued. Most of the rescued people were identified as Nigerians.

Investigators recovered 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet equipment, four vehicles, jewellery, 10 Nigerian passports and other items.

The operation followed intelligence received in August about apartments allegedly being used for organised cybercrime, including romance scams.

Why FBI and Ghana figures appear different

Patel had said the Ghana operation resulted in more than 130 people being “arrested or detained,” including victims who would be repatriated, with more than 300 devices seized and nearly $10 million in identified losses.

That means the FBI itself did not describe all 130-plus individuals as criminal suspects.

Ghana’s breakdown of eight suspects arrested and 120 suspected trafficking victims rescued provides a more precise distinction between alleged offenders and potential victims.

Ghanaian Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George also criticised the suggestion that the FBI acted alone, warning that inaccurate presentation of joint operations could undermine international law-enforcement cooperation.

Investigations into the arrested suspects and seized devices are continuing.