Dr Christian Ani: The black axe and law enforcement in SA

Nigerian confraternities operating in South Africa have become mired in transnational organised crime. In this interview with Chris Steyn, Dr. Christian Ani of the ENACT programme at the Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, describes their modus operandi in South Africa - and reveals their links to law enforcement officials. "There are...five dominant ones, with the Black Axe the most prominent... But you need to know that the group is highly connected. They have highly-connected members who have been able to compromise key security teams. So sometimes, they get police officers to do their bidding...they have a way of having a sway on security officials when necessary.” Cybercrime is one of the prominent crimes that the group is linked to.  Dr Ani describes the targeted interventions needed to unravel the complex criminality association with these groups that were originally university-based movements advocating for liberation and social justice, but has now become entrenched with violence.

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Edited transcript of the interview