On July 7, 1977, nine students from the University of Benin, led by Nicholas Idemudia started the Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM), a male brotherhood focused on "intellectual radicalism in pursuit of Pan-African struggles.

[1] The Neo-Black Movement of Africa was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission under the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) on February 24, 1994, with registration No 7729.

[4][3] This represents its readiness to confront difficult tasks and to break social injustice, along with other vices that limit humanity's progress.

[11] However, various publications refer to NBM and Black Axe as synonymous, including the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

[12][9] In April 2024, reporter Biaca Bridger wrote, "Due to the secretive nature of the group it is difficult to ascertain the alleged links between the Neo-Black Movement and Black Axe.

However, throughout Nigeria, the two groups are synonymous, with their members taking part in organized crime, human trafficking and money laundering.