In a major crackdown on transnational crime, the Nigeria Police Force has rescued 46 Ghanaian nationals trafficked into the country and arrested seven suspects connected to a cross-border human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate.
The operations, coordinated by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, followed a tip-off from INTERPOL NCB in Accra, Ghana, according to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Thursday.
Adejobi revealed that the first sting operation led to the rescue of 31 Ghanaians who were lured to Nigeria under false promises of employment in Europe. Instead, they were coerced into fraudulent online marketing activities linked to the controversial QNET network.
Investigations revealed that one of the victims, Samuel Dankwah Opoku, was deceived by George Tenkron, who claimed he had secured a job for him in Spain. Opoku was instructed to travel to Nigeria where he fell into the hands of the syndicate.
He allegedly paid GHC30,000 to one Attah Amankwaah, a Ghanaian resident in Nigeria and identified as a key player in the QNET scheme.
“The syndicate specializes in trapping and forcing victims into exploitative online marketing scams,” Adejobi stated.
Six suspects were arrested in the operation, during which police uncovered evidence linking them to cybercrime and human trafficking. The victims have since been handed over to the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria.
In a separate operation on June 17, four more Ghanaians were rescued after being trafficked into Nigeria by a 39-year-old woman identified as Achiaa Grace Afrifa.
She allegedly defrauded her victims of a total of GHC126,000 under the guise of securing jobs for them.
Afrifa was arrested on June 18 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and 15 victims were freed from her custody.
The seven suspects arrested in both cases are currently in police custody and are expected to be charged in court upon conclusion of investigations.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended INTERPOL’s swift action and the cooperation of Ghanaian authorities.
He reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to dismantling human trafficking networks, fighting cybercrime, and safeguarding vulnerable persons across borders.
The police have urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities that may be linked to trafficking or online fraud.
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