Canadians are becoming more aware of a feared Nigerian group which is threatening to take a firmer and dangerous root in their country. News Express has learnt that Canadian security agencies are working round the clock to check the growing activities of the Black Axe group in the country.

The group, which has for years been associated with violence, has come to the fore in Canada over its suspected worldwide links with international financial scam which Canadian authorities say have wrecked the lives thousands of its vulnerable citizens.

Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reports that interviews with about 20 people in Canada found that “Axemen,” as they call themselves, are setting up chapters around the world, including in Canada.

According to the report, Canadian police say that the Black Axe groups are focused on profit through scamming in Canada.

The Canadian Police have also learned that when done on an “industrial” level as part of a professional global network, scams ruin lives on a scale they have rarely seen.

The report adds: “Two weeks ago, at a news conference attended by FBI officers, Toronto police announced they had taken part in an international crackdown on a money-laundering network through which more than $5 billion flowed in just over a year. Two local men charged with defrauding a Toronto widow of her life’s savings will eventually face extradition to the United States on money-laundering charges, they said.”

There are reports that several Canadian residents have been defrauded not less than $1million each in the past two years and Canada’s police allege that residents linked to the black axe as responsible for wiring the money internationally to trusted members around the globe.

The scams feed on a sophisticated money laundering scheme in which several people assume false identities and mix reality – bank accounts, real names and real websites – with fake documents, according to the report.

One of those arrested by Canada’s police in relation to fraud is 41-year-old Akohomen Ighedoise, to whom the police have added an extra charge of “participating in a criminal organization.”

Mr Ighedoise is being accused of being the book keeper of fraudsters who belong to Black Axe – also known as Neo Black Movement of Africa – and of helping them to launder money.

•Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.