Black Axe: Leaked documents shine spotlight on secretive Nigerian gang

One violent mafia-style gang for Nigeria wey dey linked to murder and fraud don penetrate di kontri political system and launch global scamming operation beyond Nigeria borders, according to thousands of hacked documents and testimonies wey di BBC see.

Di "Black Axe" gang don dey operate for many years in Nigeria and dey among di kontri most-feared organised crime syndicates. Membership of dis syndicates, wey dey known as "cults" or "fraternities", dey outlawed for Nigeria.

For di past two years, BBC Africa Eye don dey follow di Black Axe, dem speak to former members and look through thousands of documents wey look like say dem hack dem from some top members of di group. E no dey possible to verify di entire tin, but BBC verify key documents inside.

Among our findings be emails wey suggest say one prominent Nigerian businessman and 2019 APC party candidate for political office, Augustus Bemigho, wey be senior member of Black Axe dey involved in orchestrating fraudulent internet scams and netting millions of dollars.

Di documents dem contain more dan 18,000 pages from one email account wey dey linked to Mr Bemigho, including emails wey suggest say e send guidance on scamming to one network of collaborators on 62 occasions and bin communicate wit odas about specific scamming targets.

"We don remove im close to 1M dollar," one email wey dem send to Mr Bemigho tok, e dey refer to one victim. Di email contain di victim full name, email address and number, and instructions on how to progress di scam.

BBC bin use Mr bemigho emails to track down two scamming, wey say dem defraud dem of reach like $3.3m (£2.4m). Operations by international law enforcement agencies indicate say Black Axe scamming profits fit run into billions. BBC contact Mr Bemigho, but e no respond to di allegations.

Some of di material wey dey di leaked documents wey show di graphic results of di gang activities dey too bad to publish. But di data paint unique picture of Black Axe operations between 2009 and 2019, and suggest say di gang don penetrate Nigerian politics for im home region of Edo State to shocking extent.

Two documents state say for Benin City, 35 million naira ($85,000; £64,000) na im dey channel to di Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) - one registered company for Nigeria wey dey considered by some western law enforcement to dey synonymous wit Black Axe - to "protect votes" and secure victory for one govnorship election in 2012.

In exchange for di support, di files suggest say "80 slots na im dem allocate to NBM Benin Zone for immediate employment by di state goment".

Kurtis Ogebebor, one activist for Benin City wey dey work to try and stop young pipo so dme no go dey recruited into cults like Black Axe, tell BBC say Nigeria politics don become "mafia politics".

"Cultism seem to dey all levels of our goment, from di lowest to di highest," e bin add. "You find dem everywhere."

Di Neo-Black Movement of Africa bin strongly deny links to di Black Axe, and di group lawyers tell BBC say any Black Axe members wey dem find among dia ranks dem dey "expel immediately". Di NBM claim say dem get three million members around di world, and dey regularly publicise charity activity - donations to orphanages, schools and di police, both for Nigeria and abroad.

"NBM no be Black Axe. NBM no get anytin to do wit criminality," Ese Kakor, di president of di organisation, tell BBC.

But international law enforcement agencies no see am like dat. Di US justice department don label di NBM "criminal organisation" and say e dey "part of di Black Axe", and Canadian authorities don tok say Black Axe and NBM "be di same".

For recent months, joint operations wey dey target Black Axe by di US Secret Service, di FBI and Interpol bin result for di arrest of more dan 35 NBM members for US and South Africa wey get charges wey dey related to multi-million dollar internet fraud schemes. NBM tell di BBC say dem don suspend all dis members since.

For 2017, Canadian authorities break up one money-laundering scheme wey dey linked to Black Axe wey worth in excess of $5bn, e point finger to di scale of di gang global financial operations. Nobody know how many similar schemes dey out dia, di leaked documents show members dey communicate between Lagos, London, Tokyo, Dubai, and one dozen oda kontries.

For Nigeria, pipo sabi di Black Axe for dia street level crime and brutality and alleged links to politics and business. But di nature of di connections na sometin wey no too clear and no fit dey substantiated for long.

One former member of di Edo State goment, wey speak to di international media for di first time, tell BBC say Black Axe membership dey widespread within di halls of power.

"If you sit me down and say: 'You fit identify Black Axe for goment?' I go identify," Tony Kabaka, wey tell BBC say e bin survive repeated assassination attempts since e comot for goment and im house and front gate dey full wit bullet holes tok.

"Most politicians, almost everybody dey involved," e tok.

We bin send di goment of Edo State di allegations say dem get ties to di Black Axe, but dem no respond.