The Nigeria Police Force says it has rescued 46 Ghanaian nationals trafficked into Nigeria and arrested seven suspects linked to cross-border human trafficking and cyber fraud networks.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
He said the rescue followed two operations coordinated by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, targeting transnational organised crimes.
According to the statement, one of the operations, carried out in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB Accra, led to the rescue of 31 victims trafficked from Ghana to Nigeria under the guise of securing employment opportunities in Europe. The victims were later forced into fraudulent internet marketing activities linked to the QNET network.
Preliminary investigations, the Force said, showed that in August 2024, one Samuel Dankwah Opoku, a Ghanaian national, was lured by a suspect identified as George Tenkron with a false job promise in Spain.
Opoku was directed to Nigeria, where he was drawn into QNET’s fraudulent schemes after paying GHC 30,000 to one Attah Amankwaah, a Ghanaian residing in Nigeria and a known QNET associate.
Adejobi revealed that operatives, acting on credible intelligence, arrested six suspects, including Amankwaah, and recovered incriminating materials during a raid on their operational base.
Statements from victims and suspects revealed a wider network involved in trafficking and online scams.
The rescued victims, he added, have since been handed over to the Ghana High Commission in Abuja for repatriation and reintegration, in line with international protocols.
In a separate incident, the statement noted that on 17 June 2025, INTERPOL NCB received a distress alert concerning four Ghanaians allegedly trafficked by one Achiaa Grace Afrifa, a 39-year-old woman. She was said to have collected GHC 126,000 from the victims under the pretence of offering overseas jobs.
Afrifa was arrested the next day, 18 June, at No. 1 Ikot Ebido Street, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and 15 victims were rescued from her custody.
All seven suspects arrested in both operations are currently in police custody and will be charged in court upon conclusion of investigations, the Force stated.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, was quoted as commending the swift and collaborative efforts of INTERPOL, the Ghana High Commission, and all operatives involved.
He reiterated the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to dismantling trafficking syndicates, tackling cybercrime, and enhancing international cooperation against organised crime.
(Channels)
