insert-headers-and-footers domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/chosetfn/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121Nigeria has several criminal organizations that conduct various illicit activities, including human trafficking, smuggling, drug trafficking, and cybercrime (Anisulowo, 2022). In the past decade, the Black Axe has become one of the most powerful and deadly criminal groups originating from Nigeria, with a presence throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America (Judah et al., 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n
The global nature of Black Axe has led to different understandings of the group, and the media depiction of the organization varies depending on the geographical source. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nWithin Nigeria, Black Axe is presented as a violent group of young men who threaten the local community by committing murder, kidnappings, and human trafficking (Babajide, 2021). <\/p>\n\n\n
\nAround the world, Black Axe has been described as a \u201cnew kind of mafia\u201d or a \u201cnew mob\u201d (The Mob Reporter, 2016). Focused on cybercrime, their illicit activities are mostly non-violent but still destructive. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nBy conducting a LexisNexis search on Black Axe and their culture, I have concluded three dominant themes: cult membership, secrecy, and space. \nBy exploring these themes, I aim to describe the cultural understanding of the Black Axe as depicted in the public realm, concluding that Black Axe is seen as a mysterious threat shrouded in secrecy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following content analysis was conducted using a LexisNexis search on Google, cross-referencing with related articles from the Lloyd Sealy Library. Collecting information from public records and various data sources offered insights into Black Axe’s cultural attributes. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nAfter an initial search on Google using the keywords Nigerian criminal organizations<\/i> and culture, it became apparent that Black Axe is one of the most prolific and widely-reported groups in Google\u2019s top results and news stories. I further refined the search to include keywords such as Black Axe culture<\/i>, how do the Nigerian criminal organizations work<\/i>, Nigerian criminal organizations structure<\/i>, and relationship between Black Axe and government Nigeria<\/i>. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nI repeated these search terms in the Lloyd Sealy Library, where three significant articles were listed for Nigerian criminal organizations and culture. These articles include Linking Organizational Justice to Organizational Commitment Among Nigerian Police Officers<\/i> (Sun et al. 2021), Italian Cops Try to Stop a Sex Trafficking Gang Called Black Axe<\/i> (All Things Considered, 2018), and Pirate Towns: Reworking Social and Symbolic Infrastructures in Johannesburg and Douala<\/i> (Simone, 2006). <\/p>\n\n\n
\nDespite many Google articles and publications on Black Axe, there is very little information about the organization from academic sources, supporting the suggestion that the Nigerian criminal organization has not been studied, adding to the group\u2019s reputation of secrecy. \n<\/p>\n\n\n
Search results focused on the origins of Black Axe, how the group has expanded worldwide, and why they are seen as a significant threat. As several articles referenced Black Axe as a \u201cnew mafia,\u201d I considered the comparison of Black Axe as a modern criminal syndicate to the traditional mafia, using the seven characteristics of the mafia as described by Reuter and Paoli (2020). <\/p>\n\n\n
\nBy exploring dominant themes of cult structure, secrecy, and space, it is apparent that Black Axe is not comparable to the traditional mafia despite global headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n
Before Black Axe was a known criminal threat, the Neo-Black Movement (NBM) of Africa began as a student fraternity founded in 1977 at the University of Benin in Benin City in Edo State (Luxury Drop, 2022). NBM initially aimed to oppose injustice and move against dictatorship (H\u00f6hn, 2021). NBM quickly evolved into a criminal splinter group known as Black Axe. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nThe NBM continues to exist by its own name as a legally recognized business with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission, with a self-reported 30,000 members and connections to high-profile politicians and philanthropic activities. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nVarious publications reference the NBM and Black Axe as synonymous, such as the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Refworld, 2012). However, the NBM has publicly disassociated itself from the Black Axe confraternity, notoriously known for dealing drugs, smuggling, and human trafficking (Daily Trust, 2021). <\/p>\n\n\n
\nTypically referenced as a \u201ccult\u201d and \u201cconfraternity,\u201d most of Black Axe’s cultural attributes are speculated and\/or unconfirmed. Reasons for joining Black Axe range from the potential to earn money and networking for safety (Luxury Drop, 2022) to forcibly recruiting members (Refworld, 2012).\n<\/p>\n\n\n
\nMembership is reserved for educated males, and there is a stringent, secretive initiation process whereby recruits take an oath of allegiance. Once joining as a confraternity member, the commitment remains strong due to the spiritual link throughout the initiation process, which sometimes takes members to the verge of death. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nSome sources claim that Axemen are stripped naked and forced to lie in mud while enduring severe physical abuse, crawl through their tormentors\u2019 legs in a process known as \u201cdevil\u2019s passage,\u201d and drink blood (Luxury Drop, 2022). Other sources suggest that initiation ceremonies include bonfires, drugs, and the rape of women (Refworld, 2012). These descriptions instill an image of fear, violence, and cultism.\n<\/p>\n\n\n
\nAxemen are identified by their clothing: black pants, a long-sleeved white shirt, a black beret, and a black coat with the axe insignia (Refworld, 2012). The black axe is also present in their logo, which features a black axe cutting the chains of a black man, with the word \u201cAYE\u201d below. For this reason, the \u201cstreet cult\u201d group is also called \u201cthe Aye\u201d (Anazia, 2017).\n<\/p>\n\n\n
\nBlack Axe is known to use the threat of death against members wanting to leave or break the silence fundamental to the group\u2019s membership and initiation process (Judah et al., 2021). The group is not revered by Nigerian people but feared as the Black Axe has a history of confraternity and connection to cultism, kidnappings, violence with rival gangs, and killings (Simwa & Walubengo, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n
Despite the information available on Black Axe, the group remains mysterious. There are alleged links to politics, with a few known Black Axe members holding high positions in politics or business (H\u00f6hn, 2021). Yet the goal of Black Axe is not to achieve political domain but to penetrate politics to empower their own criminal agenda. Reports mention Nigeria has a long history of electoral violence (Carboni & Serwat, 2023), and Black Axe members play a significant role in instilling fear among voters (Shehu, 2021).\n<\/p>\n\n\n
\nExamples of known Black Axe members who hold (or have held) political power include Augustus Bemigho and Tony Kabaka (Ukpong, 2021), the latter of who was briefly revered by the youth only to have his home riddled with bullets. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nThere is also reference made to Black Axe receiving money from officials, which has further aggravated rival-gang violence (Refworld, 2012). These corrupt political connections have contributed to hundreds of unsolved murders and multi-million dollar internet fraud globally (Sahara Reporters, 2021), with a lack of conviction for corruption (Hoffmann et al., 2016). It appears that Black Axe is working with (and in) the government but not for the benefit of the Nigerian people.\n<\/p>\n\n\n
Black Axe has become one of the most notorious criminal groups worldwide, with a presence throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. With an estimated membership of over 30,000 people, their expansion has been credited to meticulous planning, dividing geographic areas into zones, and designation of local chiefs. These zonal chiefs collect dues from persons in their jurisdiction (similar to membership fees) and forward the money to leaders in Nigeria (Luxury Drop, 2022). <\/p>\n\n\n
\nWhile Black Axe is known for violence, cult killings, human trafficking, and smuggling in Nigeria, its global reputation seems less violent. Most international reports describe the \u201cmafia-like network of cells\u201d (Shehu, 2021) as a Pan-African movement that has lost its way (Williams, 2012), presenting a criminal threat through highly sophisticated cybercrime efforts, among other crimes including sexual exploitation (Becucci, 2022). <\/p>\n\n\n
\nBlack Axe has been described as one of the \u201cgangs behind online fraud\u201d (Vice, 2021) and has inspired the collective efforts of Interpol, national criminal investigation units, and other intelligence agencies. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nUltimately, Black Axe is seen as a mysterious and sinister cult-like mafia group with secret initiation ceremonies. Their cultural identity in Nigeria seems to differ from their identity abroad. Foreign media portrays Black Axe as a new type of mafia or mob, as their criminal activities are viewed through a European understanding of criminal syndicates. <\/p>\n\n\n
\nWhile it is apparent that Black Axe operations and targets differ depending on their geographical location, there is insufficient academic research and certainty about Black Axe dynamics to dive deeper.\n<\/p>\n\n\n
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