A new investigation by Drop Site News (DSN) has alleged that late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein collaborated with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to exploit Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency to pursue oil and surveillance-related business interests.
Emails released by the US Justice Department in 2018 reportedly show Epstein facilitating discussions between Jide Zeitlin, then chairman of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, a former chairman of DP World, a Dubai-based global logistics firm.
Proposed Oil and Port Deals
According to the report, discussions focused on leveraging influence in Nigeria to secure control of shipping terminals in Lagos and Badagry. Previous negotiations with Nigerian administrations dating back to 2005 had reportedly failed. DP World was said to be unwilling to invest in an industrial zone without outright ownership of the adjacent port facilities.
The investigation claims Epstein maintained frequent correspondence with Barak, who sought to deepen Israeli-Nigerian security ties. After stepping down as Israel’s defence minister in 2013, Barak allegedly used these connections to pursue energy investment opportunities in Nigeria for associates in Israel.
Surveillance Technology and Security Cooperation
Beyond energy and port interests, the report says Epstein explored avenues in Nigeria’s expanding digital and biometric infrastructure. In 2015, Barak and a business partner invested $15 million in FST Biometrics, a company founded by former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Ze’evi Farkash. The firm developed a biometric access control system known as Basel, previously deployed at the Israel-Gaza crossing.
As Nigeria intensified its fight against Boko Haram, Barak allegedly facilitated the sale of similar biometric surveillance systems to Babcock University, presenting the technology as a counter-terrorism measure to protect the institution from extremist attacks. Israeli intelligence-linked firms reportedly marketed such systems to African governments as “field-proven” security solutions.
The DSN investigation further alleges that these security engagements created commercial opportunities tied to Nigeria’s petroleum sector, with Epstein providing strategic guidance.
Cybersecurity Deals and Legislative Moves
In 2013, Nigerian lawmakers raised concerns over a $40 million intelligence contract awarded by then-President Goodluck Jonathan to Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence technology company, to develop online surveillance capabilities. The House of Representatives threatened to suspend the contract amid public scrutiny.
Later that year, Barak was invited to speak at a cybersecurity conference in Abuja, shortly after Epstein reportedly made a five-day trip to Africa. Around the same period, Nigerian media intensified calls for the passage of a comprehensive Cybercrime Bill. Two days after the conference, the Senate advanced the legislation.
In 2020, the World Bank supported a partnership involving Israel’s National Cyber Directorate and Toka Group, a cybersecurity startup co-founded by Barak, to assist with Nigeria’s national cybersecurity infrastructure.
Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges. The DSN report contends that the web of security and investment initiatives in Nigeria reflected a broader strategy to monetise instability while advancing strategic and commercial interests