Ghana Rejects FBI-Led Claims Over Operation Blackout Cybercrime Raids
The CSA said Ghana “will not be a safe haven for cybercriminals” and remains committed to dismantling cybercriminal networks and protecting the public from online fraud.
Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has rejected a portrayal of “Operation Blackout” as an operation conceived, commanded or executed by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In a press release dated 8 October 2026, the Authority said it had taken notice of a post on X by FBI Director Kashyap Pramod Patel about the operation in Ghana, and called on the FBI to clarify its public account.
The CSA said the operation, also referred to as “Operation Cyber Hunt,” was led and coordinated by the Authority itself. It named several other participants: Ghana’s National Security Council, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the FBI, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Office of the Attorney-General.
The Authority stressed that the operation was a Ghanaian one under Ghanaian authority. It said Ghanaian authorities planned, coordinated and executed it within the country’s legal and institutional frameworks, so it cannot be described as part of an FBI-led global programme or as conducted under a foreign operational command. The CSA also stressed Ghana’s sovereignty, saying foreign law enforcement agencies have no independent authority to exercise police powers or make arrests in the country. It said their participation must take place through lawful cooperation, with the authorisation and involvement of the relevant Ghanaian authorities.
The CSA acknowledged the valuable intelligence contributions of the FBI and the NCA, and said such partnerships support Ghana’s efforts against transnational cybercrime. It added, however, that the contribution of international partners must be described accurately. It said it remains available for constructive engagement to ensure the public record reflects the respective roles of all agencies involved.
On the operation itself, the CSA said it uncovered suspected cybercrime centres in parts of the Greater Accra Region. Eight suspects were arrested, and 120 others whom authorities suspect were trafficked and exploited for online fraud activities were rescued. The operation followed intelligence received on 26 August 2026 indicating that several apartments at Ubuntu Haven Estate in Kpone Katamanso, Franko Estate in Ga North and other locations in Ga West were being used as bases for organised cybercrime, including romance scams.
Items seized included 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet connection devices, four motor vehicles (one of which was stolen from Canada) and other digital equipment. The search team also recovered high-value items, including jewellery and ten Nigerian passports. Authorities are working to repatriate the rescued victims, who were identified largely as Nigerians, while investigations into the suspects and the seized devices continue.
The CSA said Ghana “will not be a safe haven for cybercriminals” and remains committed to dismantling cybercriminal networks and protecting the public from online fraud. It said it will keep strengthening intelligence-led investigations, inter-agency coordination, digital forensic capabilities and international cooperation. It named protecting victims, preserving evidence, observing due process and prosecuting offenders as central to this work.
