Ghana Police Bust Major Human Trafficking and Cybercrime Ring: Five Arrested, 57 Nigerian Nationals Rescued
The Ghana Police Service has dismantled a sophisticated human trafficking and cybercrime syndicate in a high-stakes operation, arresting five suspects and rescuing 57 Nigerian nationals who were allegedly held captive and forced into online fraud schemes.
The breakthrough raid, conducted in the Greater Accra region on October 20, underscores Ghana’s intensifying crackdown on transnational crime networks exploiting vulnerable youth amid West Africa’s rising cyber fraud epidemic.
According to a police statement released today, the operation—led by the Tema Regional Police Command in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit—targeted a hideout in the Ashaiman area, where victims were lured from Nigeria with false promises of lucrative jobs only to be coerced into “yahoo-yahoo” scams targeting global victims.
“The suspects trafficked and confined these young Nigerians, seizing their documents and forcing them to perpetrate cyber fraud for months,” said a police spokesperson, noting the recovery of laptops, routers, mobile phones, fake passports, and over GH¢150,000 in illicit funds.
The five arrested—three Ghanaians and two Nigerians, aged 28 to 45—are facing charges under the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), and the Cybercrime Act, 2020 (Act 1038), including conspiracy, trafficking, and organized crime. They were arraigned before the Ashaiman District Court on October 21, remanded for two weeks pending further investigation.
The rescued victims, mostly males aged 18-25 from Lagos and Abuja, had been held for up to six months, enduring threats, beatings, and confinement in overcrowded rooms without escape.
This raid builds on a wave of similar busts, including the October 8 Volta Region operation that repatriated 32 West Africans (24 Nigerians, 8 Togolese) for cyber fraud, and the July 2025 Dodowa sweep that freed 25 Nigerians from a forced labor scam.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and Interpol have linked these to broader Sahel networks smuggling youth across borders for cybercrime, with Ghana emerging as a hub due to its digital infrastructure and proximity to Nigeria.
The victims are receiving medical care, counseling, and assistance from the Ghana Immigration Service for repatriation, with the Nigerian High Commission coordinating family reunions. Police Director-General of Operations, COP Paul Asogba, reaffirmed the force’s commitment, stating, “We will continue intelligence-led operations to eradicate these syndicates threatening our regional security.”
Civil society groups like the Ghana Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition praised the effort but called for youth empowerment programs to prevent recruitment, noting that economic desperation drives 70% of cases.
As investigations continue, the public is urged to report suspicious activities via the hotline 0800-123-456.
