CSA rejects FBI claims, insists Ghana led cybercrime operation

Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has insisted that local security agencies planned and executed this week’s cybercrime operation, rejecting claims that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conceived, commanded or carried out the exercise.

In a statement issued on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the authority said the operation, known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was led and coordinated by the CSA within Ghana’s legal and institutional framework.

The exercise involved several local and international agencies, including the National Security Council, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the FBI, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Office of the Attorney-General.

The CSA stressed that Ghanaian authorities retained operational control throughout the exercise and that the operation was not conducted under a foreign command or conceived as part of an FBI-led global programme.

It cited Ghana’s status as a sovereign republic, arguing that foreign law enforcement agencies cannot independently exercise police powers or make arrests within the country. Their involvement, it said, must be based on lawful cooperation and the authorisation and participation of the appropriate Ghanaian institutions.

Although the authority acknowledged intelligence support from the FBI and the National Crime Agency, it maintained that the contributions of all participating agencies must be accurately reflected in public communications.

It therefore called on the FBI to clarify its account of the operation and recognise the roles played by Ghanaian institutions and other international partners.

The CSA said it remained open to constructive engagement to ensure that the public record accurately represented the respective contributions of the agencies involved.

Eight suspects arrested, 120 victims rescued

The authority disclosed that the operation uncovered suspected cybercrime centres in parts of the Greater Accra Region, leading to the arrest of eight suspects and the rescue of 120 people allegedly trafficked and exploited for online fraud.

According to the CSA, the operation followed intelligence received on August 26, 2026, which indicated that several apartments at Ubuntu Haven Estate in Kpone Katamanso, Franko Estate in Ga North and other locations in Ga West were allegedly being used as bases for organised cybercrime, including romance scams.

Items recovered during the exercise included 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet connection devices, four vehicles and other digital equipment. One of the vehicles was reported to have been stolen from Canada.

Investigators also seized jewellery and ten Nigerian passports.

The authority said the rescued individuals were predominantly Nigerian nationals and that arrangements were underway to facilitate their repatriation.

Investigations into the arrested suspects and the digital devices recovered during the operation are continuing.

The CSA reaffirmed its commitment to disrupting cybercriminal networks and protecting the public against online fraud, adding that it would continue to strengthen intelligence-led investigations, cooperation among security agencies, digital forensic capabilities and international partnerships.