Keypoints:
- 62 arrests and major contraband seized
- Nine terror-linked suspects detained
- Checks across land, air, and sea borders
A SWEEPING border security operation coordinated by Interpol across 12 West African countries has resulted in 62 arrests, including suspected terrorists, and the seizure of firearms, explosives, counterfeit medicines, drugs and stolen vehicles. The results were disclosed in an official Interpol statement detailing Operation Screen West Africa 2025.
Conducted between July and October, the operation brought together police, customs, immigration and maritime agencies from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Officers stationed at land, air and sea borders conducted 1.7 million real-time checks using Interpol Mobile Devices and other systems — a notable increase from the 1.3 million checks in 2024.
According to the organisation, frontline teams inspected vessels in the Gambia River estuary, screened travellers at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and carried out vehicle inspections at the port of Boa Vista in Cabo Verde. Officers also verified identity documents on the spot and examined cargo entering ports such as Tincan Island in Nigeria.
Terror-linked arrests among key breakthroughs
Interpol confirmed that the operation led to nine arrests of individuals suspected of terrorism connections, alongside nearly 250 hits against its global databases. These included seven matches linked to Red Notices and nine to Blue Notices tied to terrorist activity.
Two of the highest-profile arrests occurred in Burkina Faso, where officers detained individuals wanted by authorities in Cote d’Ivoire for their alleged role in 2020 Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM attacks that killed more than 10 Ivorian security personnel. Both suspects had been flagged with Blue Notices issued by Cote d’Ivoire.
Burkina Faso also apprehended a third individual linked to terrorist activity, who had been the subject of a Blue Notice circulated by Togo in 2024. Interpol said the suspect was previously identified during Operation FIRST, a facial recognition-driven initiative aimed at tracking extremist movements across West Africa.
Cyril Gout, Interpol’s Executive Director Police Services pro tempore, said the results underscored the value of coordinated intelligence. ‘These cases highlight how the operational support we offer member countries and our unique specialist tools can make the links that identify suspected terrorists and disrupt their attempts to create fear and endanger communities,’ he said. ‘We are determined to counter these threats and constantly work with our member countries to strengthen global security.’
Trafficking victims rescued and major contraband seized
Interpol added that officers in Ghana rescued 21 victims of human trafficking who had been held in Nigeria and exploited for fraudulent online schemes.
Seizures made during the operation included:
- 17 caches of weapons and ammunition
- Explosives such as dynamite and detonators
- 136 stolen vehicles
- 731 kg of cannabis
- Counterfeit medicines, including fake branded opioid tablets
- Counterfeit currency and fraudulent documents
The agency cautioned that proceeds from many of these items are used to fund terrorism and organised crime networks.
Maritime checks and deceptive shipping practices
The crackdown also extended to harbours and territorial waters, where Interpol alerted countries about vessels linked to identity tampering, ‘dark operations’ involving switched-off tracking systems, and rapid flag changes known as ‘flag hopping’.
Operation Screen West Africa 2025 was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
