It follows the arrest of 320 on Thursday, November 6, 2025 by the anti-human trafficking unit of EOCO in two separate locations – Kenyasi and Buoho – in the region.

The officers identified 295 persons as victims of the alleged human trafficking with twenty-five (25) of them deemed potential suspects who allegedly lured the victims into a fake business scam.

Out of the total number, 214 were identified to be females with the remaining being males. This has sparked concern on the rate at which innocent young women have been hypnotized into the dubious act.

EOCO says it is continuing with investigations to unravel the larger syndicate of persons masterminding the fraudulent activities under the guise of QNET to traffic innocent persons into its illicit activities.

The suspects are expected to be arraigned before the courts as EOCO further investigates the matter to uncover the network of their fraudsters.

Speaking at a media engagement in Kumasi, Head of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at EOCO, Staff Officer Dominic Mensah revealed families of the victims have begun contacting the office to retrieve their long-lost relatives.

“Some of the families have started phoning in to retrieve their relatives. We couldn’t take get space to accommodate all of them, so we had to send them back to where we picked them from, but we are in touch with them. We are also communicating with their families,” he noted.

He continued that: “We believe that the suspects aren’t the only people behind this scam. There are other people who are behind it, so we want to see if we can get more suspects”.

These arrests follow the collaboration between the EOCO and QNET officials in Ghana and West Africa to clamp down on the illicit operations under its “QNET campaign against scam” campaign.

The QNET, a global lifestyle and wellness company, says it is ready to support the investigative and law enforcing agencies to end the scamming activity.

Head of Compliance at QNET, Theodocia Quartey admonished the public to blow the whistle on these individuals to save victims and not fall prey to their charade.

“The victim needs redress. We want to point to victims where to go. We are providing every resource to help the law enforcement agencies to fight this seeming canker,” she noted.

Source: Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe

The victims, aged between 15 and 18 years, included Nwachukwu’s own sister. They were lured to Ghana with promises of decent jobs but were forced into prostitution upon arrival.

According to the prosecution, the victims were made to pay Nwachukwu GH₵300 daily after engaging in sex work in Odorkor, a suburb of Accra.

Presiding Judge Mrs Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong found Nwachukwu guilty on two counts of human trafficking and sentenced him to 10 years on each count, to run concurrently. In addition, the court ordered him to pay GH₵15,000 in compensation to each of the 10 victims.

While noting that Nwachukwu was a first-time offender who had pleaded for leniency, the court emphasised the need to deter human trafficking, citing its increasing prevalence.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Isaac Babayi, said the victims were rescued by a team led by Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Ghana, who apprehended Nwachukwu and alerted the authorities.

Investigations revealed that Nwachukwu financed the victims’ transport from Nigeria and exploited them through prostitution, assisted by accomplices who recruited and transported the girls from various villages in Nigeria.

Upon arrival, the victims were reportedly kept at Nwachukwu’s residence at Liberia Camp near Kasoa, where he allegedly took their pubic hair, forced them to swear before a shrine, threatened them with incurable skin diseases if they disobeyed, and gave them waist beads from the shrine. They were then transported to Odorkor traffic light and compelled to engage in prostitution, with Nwachukwu keeping records of their daily earnings in an exercise book.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Ghana Police Service, with support from Challenging Heights, subsequently rescued the victims.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) William Ayaregah, Director of the AHTU, said justice had been served and reiterated that Ghana would not tolerate human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. Ghana is not a safe haven for criminals — wherever you are, we will come after you,” he warned.

Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa of NIDO commended the Ghana Police Service for their strong collaboration, saying, “Justice has been served for the victims. Ghana is not fertile ground for criminal activities. We must all work together to eliminate human trafficking and restore dignity to our nations.”

Source: GNA

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The operation, which took place on Wednesday [Oct 22, 2025] and was led by the CID’s Operations Unit following intelligence gathered on the group’s activities.

The suspects have been named by the police as Joel Nosa, Collins Rotimi, Shadrack Lulu, Austin Amahuaro, and John Uloko.

They are alleged to have operated a network that lured young Nigerians to Ghana under false promises of employment and education.

According to a press statement issued by Chief Inspector Brigitte Babanawo, Public Relations Officer of the CID, preliminary investigations indicated that the victims, aged between 18 and 26 years, were forced to engage in online romance scams and other illegal activities upon arrival in Ghana.

“Upon arrival, the victims, aged between 18 and 26 years, were coerced into engaging in online romance scams and other heinous activities,” the statement said.

During the operation, police retrieved 77 laptops, 38 mobile phones, two vehicles, three television sets, and other internet-enabled devices suspected to have been used in the crimes.

The 57 rescued victims are currently receiving care and support, while the suspects remain in police custody assisting with further investigations.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

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The operation, carried out by the Zenu–Atadeka District Police Patrol Team on October 7, 2025, led to the arrest of three suspects and the rescue of seven Nigerian nationals who were allegedly being held against their will.

The suspects, identified as Peter Okoyie, 36, a computer engineer; Jolly Ezekiel, 30; and Jolly Shadrack, 33, are said to have deceived their victims into travelling from Nigeria to Ghana under the pretext of securing them construction jobs in Tema.

Upon arrival, the victims were instead confined in a house and forced to engage in online fraud activities.

According to police investigations, the victims endured harsh conditions, including physical abuse and confinement in a small, poorly ventilated room measuring about 10 by 12 feet.

They were allegedly starved and denied access to basic hygiene for several months.

The victims told police that they were each given laptops and trained to create fake romantic relationships with unsuspecting foreigners in order to defraud them.

The syndicate is believed to have used over ten laptops, with senior members overseeing the operations and taking the proceeds.

A police search at the suspects’ residence uncovered laptops, routers, mobile phones, and other items, which have been kept as evidence to support investigations. The rescued victims, who had been held captive for close to eight months, are now in safe custody.

On October 9, 2025, the suspects appeared before the Ashaiman District Court, presided over by His Worship Derick Parden Eshun, on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Crime and Human Trafficking.

Their pleas were not taken, and they were remanded into police custody to reappear on October 23, 2025. Mobile devices retrieved from them have been sent to the Cyber Crime Unit at Police Headquarters in Accra for forensic analysis.

The Tema Regional Police Commander has assured the public that investigations are ongoing and that the Command is working closely with the Ghana Immigration Service to ensure the safe repatriation of the rescued victims to Nigeria.

The police further urged the public to report any suspected cases of human trafficking or cybercrime to support ongoing efforts to combat organised criminal activities.

Source: Adomonline

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Obasuyi Efosa Bright, charged with five counts of “Prohibition of Trafficking,” pleaded not guilty.

The accused is alleged to have promised the victims, aged between 19 and 25 years, befitting jobs but ended up compelling them to engage in a “romance scam.”

The court has admitted Bright, in the presence of his lawyer, to bail in the sum of GHC100,000 with two sureties.

It ordered Bright to report to the police twice a month.

The court has asked the prosecution to file its disclosures and serve same on the defence counsel and the accused persons.

Prosecution’s case was that on August 21, 2025, the police received information that a group of Nigerian nationals had camped in a house located at Adom Estates, Tema Community 25, and were engaged in cybercrime.

The Cybercrime Unit of the CID Headquarters and operatives of the Cyber Security Authority proceeded to the scene and met the accused persons, Obasuyi Efosa Bright and five others, all Nigerians as mentioned on the charge sheet, lodging in a three-bedroom apartment at the aforesaid estates.

The court heard that six laptop computers had been set up at the apartment connected to an active internet running a Korean web application, “BAND,” allegedly being used to defraud unsuspecting victims.

Police investigations, prosecution said, revealed that the accused person, Obasuyi Efosa Bright, is the leader of the cybercrime syndicate controlling the other five Nigerians trafficked into Ghana under the pretence of getting them well-paying jobs, only to engage in romance scams.

The accused person was subsequently arrested, and the victims were rescued. The laptop computers (exhibits) will be forwarded to the Forensic Laboratory for examination.

Investigations were underway, the prosecution said, adding that the victims had been kept in a safe place.

Source: GNA

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The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed in a statement in Uyo on Wednesday that the victims were rescued from a compound in Obio Etoi village, Uyo LGA, following a formal request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and INTERPOL.

She said operatives, acting on credible information, surrounded the well-fenced building at approximately 4:17 p.m. on Monday, August 18, 2025. The raid led to the rescue of 10 males and 10 females (names withheld), all confirmed to be Ghanaian nationals.

The statement read:
“On August 18, 2025, operatives of the command successfully rescued 20 Ghanaians trafficked to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The human trafficking victims were rescued from a compound in Obio Etoi village after an operation that was a collaborative effort following a formal request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and INTERPOL. Acting on credible information, operatives surrounded a well-fenced building at approximately 1617 hours on Monday.”

DSP John said that after the rescue, the victims appeared disoriented and unable to provide useful information, leading investigators to suspect they might have been hypnotised.

“Investigation is ongoing, and further developments will be communicated to the public as they become available,” the statement added.

Source: Punch.ng

The victims, two females and five males from Mali, Togo, La Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, were found confined in a house at Pump-Side, a suburb of Assin Fosu in the Central Region.

The Central North Regional Police Commander who confirmed the arrest to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the victims had been lured with false job promises linked to QNET, an international online marketing company, but were held under suspicious conditions.

The rescue, he said followed a tip-off on Sunday, June 1, 2025, leading to the arrest of eight individuals, including Zongo Jeon-Baptiste.

The victims were released and are to assist in further investigations, but the suspect is being held in police custody for human trafficking and defrauding by false pretence.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of human trafficking and cybercrime operations in Ghana, where victims from various West African countries are lured with job promises and then exploited, often in cybercrime activities.

Similar large-scale rescues had occurred recently, involving hundreds of victims and multiple arrests, but the Command said they will break the back of such human trafficking networks, particularly in the area.

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According to court records, the convict trafficked her latest victims from Benue State, Nigeria, into Ghana on March 22 and 27, 2025, under the pretence of securing them decent employment.

However, upon arrival in Ghana, the victims say they were forced into prostitution. They initially resisted, but according to their testimony, the Madam forcibly shaved their pubic hair, removed their fingernails as a form of torture, and made them swear an oath that if they refused to comply, they would go mad.

Out of fear, the victims eventually submitted and began working as sex workers. They stated that Patience Gold had full control over their operations, charged customers, collected the money, and withheld all proceeds from them.

One of the victims, Abigail Timothy, revealed that she was already pregnant before being trafficked to Ghana. On March 28, 2025, the Madam reportedly administered a local herbal concoction to terminate the pregnancy illegally.

In another shocking revelation, a victim named Happiness Kowuka fell ill on March 12, 2025, and was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Despite knowing her status, the Madam relocated her to another area where she continued to engage in commercial sex work while the Madam kept all earnings.

When Happiness confronted her Madam after receiving just GHS300 on her supposed payday, she was brutally assaulted, sustaining facial injuries. This led her to rally her fellow victims and report the abuse to the Asankrangwa Police Station.

Following police investigations, Patience Gold was arrested and admitted to the offences in her caution statement.

She has been handed a 29-year sentence to run concurrently as follows:

• 20 years for human trafficking, contrary to Section 1 (1,2) of the Human Trafficking Act 2005 (Act 694) as amended by Section 1 (1) of the Human Trafficking (Amendment) Act 2009 (Act 784).
• 5 years for illegal abortion, contrary to Section 58 of the Criminal Offences Act.
• 2 years for assault, contrary to Section 84 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
• 2 years for prostitution-related offences, contrary to Section 274(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as substituted by NLCD 398, Paragraph 16.

The court also directed that the victims—Samuel Ahiabor, Jennifer Terewuba, Abigail Timothy, Happiness Kowuka, and Rejoice Isaac—be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service to assist in their safe repatriation to Nigeria.

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Jessica Daniel, 24, a hairdresser also known as Blessing, and Kelvin Johnson, 30, a Bitcoin trader known as Alaska, were found guilty after a trial and convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and two counts of human trafficking.

The court, presided over by Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong, deferred sentencing until tomorrow, April 30, 2025, pending the outcome of a pregnancy test for Jessica, the first accused.

In her ruling on Tuesday, the judge stated that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution called three witnesses, while the accused also presented a witness.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Isaac Babayi, who led the prosecution, informed the court that the complainant was Chief Calistus Elozipuwa, a member of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Ghana.

The accused persons, Jessica Daniel and Kelvin Johnson, are both Nigerian nationals.

According to the prosecution, on July 1, 2024, the complainant rescued the victims, Gloria Vincent (alias Grace), 20, and Gloria Igbetar (alias Diamond), 25, who were engaging in prostitution.

Upon questioning, the victims revealed that they had been deceived and transported from Nigeria to Ghana by Jessica under the pretext of securing domestic servant jobs. However, once in Ghana, they were coerced into prostitution.

The prosecution also revealed that Johnson had connected the victims to an agent in Nigeria, and upon arrival in Accra, Johnson took them to an apartment where they were forced to work as prostitutes. Jessica demanded GH₵8,000 from each of them to secure their freedom.

Both accused were later arrested. During investigations, they admitted to recruiting the victims for prostitution, and the proceeds from the exploitation were collected by Johnson and handed over to Jessica for safekeeping.

Further investigations revealed that Jessica used Johnson as a cover, fearing the victims would harm her if they discovered she was their mistress.

The victims were able to pay the GH₵8,000 each to the convicts, which both Jessica and Johnson admitted to receiving.

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Chidemma Nweke, also known as Mama, a 24-year-old sex worker, and Mercy Francis, a 27-year-old trader, are accused of luring the victims from Nigeria under the pretext of securing them jobs.

The accused were arrested by a team of police officers at Asuogya Krobo in Wassa Akropong in the Western North Region.

They are facing charges of abetment of crime to wit human trafficking, and human trafficking. Nweke is alleged to have trafficked one victim, while Francis, also known as Blessing or Gina, allegedly trafficked two.

Both have pleaded not guilty. The court, presided over by Mrs. Christina Cann, remanded them into lawful custody to reappear on April 29, 2025.

Meanwhile, two of their alleged accomplices, identified as Favour and Blessing, are currently at large.

According to the prosecution, the complainant is Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa, President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Ghana. The accused, both Nigerian nationals, were residing at Wassa Akropong.

On April 7, 2025, Chief Eloziepuwa and victim Favour Chinecherem reported the case to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters. They explained that a good Samaritan had helped Favour escape from the traffickers while en route to Accra.

During interrogation, Favour disclosed that more victims were being held captive at Asuogya Krobo in Wassa Akropong and identified all four suspects.

On April 10, 2025, a team from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, led by the Station Officer, conducted an operation in Wassa Akropong. Six additional victims were rescued, and the two accused were arrested.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Nweke had recruited and transported Favour from Nigeria to Ghana under the pretense of offering her work in a boutique. Upon arrival, however, Nweke confined her in a brothel at Asuogya Krobo and forced her into prostitution, collecting the proceeds.

Later, Mercy Francis, who managed the brothel and a drinking spot called Royal City Pub, advised Nweke to sell the victim. Mercy allegedly introduced buyers, including another individual named Favour (the third accused) and one Blessing (the fourth accused). The victim was reportedly sold for GH¢5,000.

Following the sale, Mercy received GH¢500 as her share, which she used to paint the pub.

Prosecutors said investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.

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The suspect is alleged to have defrauded 43 victims, comprising 32 males and 11 females under a popular internet scam known as Q-NET.

According to preliminary investigations by the police, Bella duped the victims of a total sum of 4.5million CFA Francs under the false pretense of securing employment opportunities for them.

She was arrested together with the victims who are also believed to be Cameroonians, aged between 22 and 30.

They were apprehended at a residence located at Kenyasi Abrem in the Ashanti Region on Monday, 7th April 2025.

In a statement, the Police reiterated their commitment to fighting fraud and protecting the safety and welfare of both citizens and foreign nationals within the country.

The suspects have since been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for necessary immigration processes and repatriation to their home country.

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Once hailed as a regional leader in the fight against trafficking, the country has experienced a disturbing trend, with an increase in human trafficking cases, reversing earlier progress.

From 2013 to 2024, Ghana made notable strides in reducing trafficking activities, but recent reports indicate an alarming resurgence that undermines much of the progress made.

From 2014 to 2018, Ghana’s anti-trafficking efforts yielded positive results, with a consistent rating of 68.8 out of 100. However, these efforts began to decline from 2019 to 2023, with 2022 and 2023 recording the lowest score of 31.3 out of 100.

As part of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection’s initiative to prevent human trafficking, 60 law enforcement agencies have been provided with advanced capacity-building training to address adult and child trafficking, child labor, irregular migration, and other forms of exploitation.

While Ghana has made considerable progress in its fight against human trafficking, the recent rise in cases highlights ongoing challenges. The recent increase in trafficking cases signals that greater efforts are needed to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent traffickers from exploiting them.

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According to Deputy Attorney General, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, despite government interventions, including the passage of relevant laws, these factors continue to affect her office’s efforts at prosecuting perpetrators of the crime.

“Some of the problems we encounter when we are prosecuting some of these perpetrators is for members within the community to purport to interfere in the prosecution either through lobbying or luring or through threats of death and other things,” she said.

She spoke on the sidelines at the National Justice Conference of the International Justice Mission in Accra.

Madam Dapaah said although the government has laws to check trafficking, a lot more ought to be done.

“It is a whole community responsibility. So as a government, we are doing our bid but we relish the continuous support of all of us,” she said.

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He has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined five hundred penalty units (GH¢1,200). If he fails to pay the fine, he will serve an additional six-month term.

The convict illegally entered the country in 2021 and orchestrated the trafficking of his victims into Ghana on February 13, 2024.

He deceived them by claiming he would send them to Dubai to work as housemaids.

Below are the full facts of the case released by the Ghana Immigration Service.

1. On Tuesday, 12th March 2024, the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service, led by its Regional Prosecutor, Senior Inspector Terah Allou, arraigned a 31-year-old Nigerian, Mr. OKolo Chukwukadibia Jackson, before the Kweikuma Gender Circuit Court in Takoradi, presided over by Her Honour, Naa Amerley Akowuah, on two counts of Human Trafficking and Illegal Entry.

2. The accused was convicted on his own plea, contrary to sections 2(1)/(2) of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005(ACT 694) as amended by section 1(1) of the Human Trafficking Act, 2009 and the section 2(1), and 52(1)(D) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (ACT 573) respectively.

3. Mr Okolo Chukwukadibia Jackson, was then sentenced to ten years (10yrs) imprisonment with hard labour for trafficking a 16-year-old girl and other three females from Onitsha, Anambra State, a fine of five hundred penalty unit (Ghc 1,200.00) and in default serve additional six months term.

4. Presenting the facts, the prosecution informed the court that the accused entered the country illegally in the year 2021 and has since remained so until his arrest at Aboi Nkwanta, Asankrangwa, in the Western Region.

5. According to the 16-year-old victim rescued, Madam Ella, one of the accomplices of the primary suspect recruited them in Nigeria under the guise of sending them to her brother, the primary suspect, in Dubai to serve as sales girls.

6. Investigations revealed that an amount of Six Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand Two Hundred Naira (N 668, 200) was sent by the accused from Ghana to the said Madam Ella, to cover the cost of their recruitment, lodging, feeding, and transportation from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Asankrangwa in the Western Region.

7. The victims arrived in Lagos on Sunday, 11th February 2024 through an agent and handed them over to a driver referred to as I.K. who accommodated them for the night. On the next day, I.K. put the rescued victim and the other three Nigerian girls into his car and brought them to Accra on Tuesday, 13th February 2024.

8. On the night of Thursday, 15th February 2024, I.K, arranged for Asankrangwa bound bus for the victims and gave Mr. Okolo Chukwukadibia’s contact number to the driver to arrange for the victims to call upon arrival.

9. Immediately after the accused had received them on the morning of Friday, the 16th of February, 2024, he singled the innocent 16-year-old girl out by taking her to a shrine to swear with an egg to the effect that, she would neither run away nor disclose whatsoever ordeal she suffers to anyone, else she will die.

10. The victim was finally taken to a whorehouse, and handed over to another Nigerian woman, allegedly called Madam Special, in charge of that brothel. Right in front of the victim, the accused paid Madam Special, an undisclosed amount of money in addition to giving her packages of condoms, after which the victim was directed to a room and ordered to begin working as a prostitute. The victim was further informed that the entire proceeds from her illicit trade go to Mr Okolo Chukwukadibia Jackson.

11. However, the victim on managing to escape from the clutches of the traffickers, chanced upon a Good Samaritan, name withheld for security reasons, who led her to the Asankrangwa Sector Command of the Ghana Immigration Service.

12. The Commander, C/Supt. Kwabena Agyei, upon receiving the report, instantaneously arranged to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators but unfortunately missed Madam Special.

13. During the interrogation, Mr. Okolo Chukwukadibia Jackson, admitted to having sent the other three victims to one Madam Gifty, who is also at large, in exchange for Eight Thousand Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢8500.00).

14. The Western Regional Command of the Service, in its quest to arrest the rest of the syndicate members and be able to save the other three Nigerian girls has put its investigative machinery across the Region on high alert.

15. The Service, through this publication is calling on the benevolence of the general public, especially its shareholders to be on the lookout for such suspicious characters within their vicinity and report them to the nearest Immigration Office for prompt action.

The Command continues to rely on the support of all to secure our borders, leading to a stable country and safe people.

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This landmark event was nothing short of a pivotal moment in the ongoing battle to combat child trafficking, particularly in a region notorious for being a source of such heinous activities, with children often being trafficked to work under grueling conditions on Lake Volta.

The launch of the 5th chapter of Impact Makers was a resounding success, drawing attendees from various walks of life, including revered local chiefs, dedicated government officials, and passionate community members.

Their presence was not merely ceremonial; it was a profound commitment to change the prevailing narrative in Hweda and put an end to the scourge of child trafficking once and for all.

One could feel the collective determination permeate the event, as the chiefs, often regarded as the custodians of tradition and culture, joined hands with government representatives who hold the power to enact policies and enforce the law.

Together with the impassioned community members, they voiced their unwavering commitment to uproot the deeply entrenched practice of child trafficking and provide a brighter future for the young souls of Hweda.

The launch marked a turning point in the fight against child trafficking in Hweda.

The collective determination of chiefs, government officials, and community members to end this grave injustice sent a powerful message that will resonate far beyond their community’s borders.

Promise Obianu Awayiaka compelled her victims to shave their pubic hair for ritual. 

The said ritual was to intimidate the victims to comply with her demands and ensure that they do not escape. 

Appearing before a Sogakope Circuit Court, Promise, 32, pleaded guilty to seven counts of human trafficking, and she was convicted on her plea. 

Promise was ordered by the court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo to pay GH₵10,000 to each of the victims as compensation. The court ordered the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to ensure that all the victims were taken through counselling and sent back to Nigeria. 

The Trial Judge held that the pregnancy test conducted on the accused person proved negative. 

The court noted that Promise had pleaded guilty to all the charges, adding that the accused person was a young woman, she had been in lawful custody for some time to enable her to undergo a pregnancy test. 

It said, “looking at the seriousness of the offence committed, the number of victims involved, it ought to hand down a deterrent sentence to traffickers and “would be Traffickers.” 

The court held that “the accused person ought to be kept away from society for a considerable period of time. This gruesome act is clearly a modern (form of) slavery, which must not be countenanced.” 

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Immigration Yussif Misbawu, who held the brief of Superintendent of Immigration Bernard John Otoo, said Promise, now a Convict, resided at Mafi-Kuamse, a suburb of Sogakope in the Volta Region. 

Prosecution said Promise recruited and transported seven girls from Nigeria to Ghana with the pretext of securing them employment as sales girls in a supermarket in Kasoa in the Central Region of Ghana but forced them into prostitution. 

It said the girls (victims) arrived in two groups; the first group was made up of four women aged between 22 to 25 years. 

Prosecution said Promise recruited and transported them initially to Kasoa and forced them to have sex with numerous men on a daily basis and benefitted from their illicit trade by collecting the proceeds. 

It said after a while, security personnel in Kasoa were alerted of the plight of the victims. 

Prosecution said the convict however relocated them to a guesthouse at Mafi Kumase, a suburb of Sogakope. 

It said at Mafi-Kumase, Promise recruited and transported three more victims (girls) from Nigeria aged 17, 20 and 23 and she forced them into prostitution. 

According to the prosecution, further investigations revealed that she shaved their pubic hair for a ritual to ensure that the victims complied with her demands. 

It said the Ghana Immigration Service was informed, leading to the arrest of Promise and the arrest of victims.

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Information gathered indicates that the suspect, a sex worker who lives in Accra, went to Bankyea in the Secondi Takoradi Metropolis in the Western Region for the child.

The victim, who is 15 years and a Junior High School pupil, in an interview with Kasapa News, said she was home when the suspect came and told her that she had bought materials for her so she should follow her to the seamstress for measurement.

The victim later asked some of the passengers in a Toyota Hiace with registration number GE-3474-21 where she was and was told she was at Mankessim.

The passengers then handed the suspect together with the victim to the police who were on duty at the Police Checkpoint at Biriwa after the girl kept on crying uncontrollably that she wanted to go back home.

The incident happened Wednesday, March 29, 2023, around 8:30 PM.

Meanwhile, when the aunty of the victim, Barbara at Secondi Takoradi was called on phone, she said, she did not know the victim’s whereabouts and is looking for her.

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The Aunty said she knows the suspect to be a prostitute who has lived in Nigeria for many years and now into prostitution in Accra.

She suspects the suspect was sending her niece to Accra for prostitution.

The suspect has been put in police custody to assist investigation.

The two, a driver and his accomplice, were picked up on Monday after over 20 Nigeriens transported to Ghana were left stranded at a basic school in the Asokore Mampong Municipality.

Although the nationals insisted they were transiting to Ivory Coast from Niger, the driver and one other person who brought them said Ghana is the final destination.

The nationals both adults and children sought shelter in the open at a basic school for three days.

Officials of the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly intervened after they were informed about the presence of foreign nationals in the area leading to the arrest of the two persons.

Meanwhile, some foreign beggars are returning to communities in the Ashanti Region after over 700 of them were recently repatriated.

It has called on authorities, especially the Ghana Police Service, to give the needed attention to the menace.

Speaking at a conference, the committee called on authorities to focus on the role of technology as a tool that can impede human trafficking.

Petitioning the Wulensi Police department in the Nanumba South District in the northern region, the leader of the Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Committee for Nanaumba south, Mr. Abdulia Razak Shani said, the future success in eradicating human trafficking will depend on how law enforcement, the criminal justice system and others can leverage technology in their responses.

This he said, technology would aid investigations to shed light on the modus operandi of trafficking networks; enhance prosecution through digital evidence to alleviate the situation of victims in criminal proceedings as well as provide support services to survivors.

He said prevention and awareness-raising activities on the safe use of the internet and social media could help mitigate the risk of people falling victims of trafficking online.

He added that Cooperation with the private sector is important to harness innovation and expertise for the development of sustainable technology-based solutions to support the prevention and combating of human trafficking.

Mrs. Beatrice Yanman Biije who is the Programes Officer for Action Aid Ghana in the northern region also called on all Ghanaians to help fight trafficking.

Receiving the petition on behalf of the District Police Commander for Wulensi, Chief Inspector Amaning Antwi also thank Action Aid Ghana for their support towards ending Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery.

This was after Iforma was found guilty on charges of human trafficking, failure to register with nearest Immigration and abetment of crime to wit abortion.

She is said to have trafficked two persons from Nigeria to Ghana (Ayamfuri in the Central Region) and compelled them to engage in prostitution to defray the cost of GHC22,000 they owed her.

Iforma’s accomplice Regina Okafor, a 23-year-old dressmaker, was also given five years for charges of criminal abortion and failure to inform the authority about trafficking.

The court, presided over by Mrs Christiana Cann, sentenced James Jesugbami, a 34-year-old Storekeeper, another accomplice to three months imprisonment and a fine of GHC500.

He will serve three months jail term if he fails to pay the fine for failure to register with the nearest Immigration office and failure to inform the authority about trafficking.

Princess Emmanuel, also an accomplice, was ordered by the court to pay a fine of GHC500 on the charge of failure to register with the nearest Immigration office in Ghana.

On the charge of failure to inform the authority about trafficking, Princess would serve three months imprisonment.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Agartha Asantewaa, said the complainant was Ex WO1 Baffour Karikari, an Inspection Officer of the Metro Mass Transit Ghana.

Chief Inspector Asantewaa said the victims and all the accused persons were Nigerians residing in Ghana. The prosecution said Iforma was a hairdresser and head of Nigerian prostitutes in Ayamfuri.

The prosecution said Dobiem, one of the accomplices at large, was a driver, James Jesugbami, a storekeeper residing at Spintex in Accra, and the fourth accused person whose name was only given as Sharon, was an assistant to Iforma and they both resided at Ayamfuri in the Central Region.

Regina Okafor, the fifth accused person, was a dressmaker and Princess Emmanuel, the sixth accused person, was a hairdresser.

Haneen Hossam, who is in her early 20s, was accused of exploiting girls for money through video-sharing platforms.

She denied the charge, which was linked to an invitation to her followers to get paid for making live videos.

Human rights activists say she has been prosecuted as part of a crackdown on female social media influencers.

They argue that the charges Hossam and at least 11 other women with millions of followers have faced since 2020 violate the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, non-discrimination and bodily autonomy.

Hossam, a Cairo University student, gained more than 900,000 followers on TikTok by posting videos showing her lip-syncing to songs and dancing.

She was first arrested in April 2020 after inviting her women followers to join another video-sharing platform, Likee, where she said they could make money by broadcasting live videos.

That July, Cairo’s Economic Court convicted Hossam and another TikTok star, Mawada al-Adham, of the charge of “violating family values and principles”. It sentenced them to two years in prison and fined them 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($16,100; £12,400).

An appeals court acquitted Hossam and overturned Adham’s prison sentence in January 2021, and they were released the following month. However, prosecutors then introduced the more serious charge of human trafficking.

The women were accused of “using girls in acts contrary to the principles and values of Egyptian society with the aim of gaining material benefits”. Local media reported that it was related to a group Hossam had promoted on Likee and videos that Adham had posted on Instagram and TikTok.

In June, the Cairo Criminal Court found them both guilty of the offence. Hossam was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in jail and Adham, who was present, was given a six-year sentence.

Hossam posted a tearful video before she was detained stating that she “didn’t do anything immoral to deserve all this” and that no-one had been harmed.

She was granted a retrial, but the same court found her guilty on Monday. In addition to handing her a three-year sentence, the judge fined her 200,000 Egyptian pounds ($10,800).

Mai El-Sadany, a US-based human rights lawyer and director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, tweeted that the verdict meant Egypt’s justice system was “criminalising what influencers globally do every day when they invite others to work with them and monetize TikTok activity”.

She denied ever exchanging the baby for money, according to Liberia’s online paper The News. 

She allegedly resorted to the exchange because she had been struggling to care for the child as a single mother, according to Front Page Africa Online.

There are no sustainable social welfare programmes for abandoned children in the country.

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She has been taken to Monrovia Central Prison, Front Page Africa Online says.

The suspects are Kwaku Asare, 24, and Kwame Asante, 28.

The arrest was reportedly made through a collaboration between Police and an informant (name withheld) after the latter picked intelligence about plans by the suspects to traffick the victim who is a nephew of suspect Kwaku Asare but resides at Ashaiman.

The informant disguised as an agent interested in the illicit sale of the victim and proposed Ghc800,000 cash which the suspects agreed.

Suspect Kwaku Asare lured the victim to Akyem Oda under the pretext that he had secured him a well-paid job.

This was to ostensibly enable him and his conspirator to capture and sell the victim to the agent.

The suspects were arrested by Police on December 7, 2021, at Oda lorry terminal waiting for the arrival of the victim for the transaction to be completed.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, the suspects admitted during interrogation to conspiring to sell the victim.

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The suspects are in Police custody assisting further investigation that would lead to the arrest of other accomplices.

He said meanwhile, the suspects would be arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit crime to wit human trafficking, and Human trafficking.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Ramhan Nansel, in a statement on Wednesday, December 1, said the suspect was arrested after a complaint was lodged at the police headquarters.

According to him, “On 25/11/2021 at about 20:00hrs, a complaint was lodged at Garaku Divisional Police Headquarters, Kokona LGA, Nasarawa State about a missing three-year-old boy and all efforts to locate his whereabouts proved abortive.

“Upon receipt of the complaints, Police operatives attached to Garaku Division immediately swung into action and arrested the suspect and the missing three- year-old child was rescued and reunited with the family.”

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect abducted the child on November 21 and took him to Imo State to sell to a prophetess before the Police got wind of her nefarious act.

The suspect has confessed to the commission of the offence while effort is ongoing to arrest the prophetess still at large.

The Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspect be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia for a more investigations.

The District Police Commander, ASP Baffour Awuah, confirmed the arrest to Adom News‘ reporter Krobea Asante.

ASP Awuah disclosed the arrest followed a complaint filed by a resident over suspicion that her sister was involved in unsafe deals.

According to the Commander, the complainant revealed her sister frequently embarks on trips abroad and often engages unknown travel agents.

The complaint led the police to the hideout of the suspects where 11 females and a male were rescued.

The victims were identified as residents of Akyem Oda, Ahwerease, Adeiso, Asuaba and Mamfe, all in the Eastern Region.

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The commander explained that the victims were lured with offers to travel abroad but it is not immediately clear what activities they embark on upon arrival.

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Meanwhile, Police will on Tuesday commence investigations to ascertain the activities of the suspects.

With support from the International Justice Mission and Dambai Social Welfare Office, the Anti Human Trafficking Unit rescued six children at two fishing communities namely, Scalen and Njare all in Krachi East Municipality.

On Friday, June 18, a report received by the police led to the rescue of three victims between the ages of eight to 12 years at Scalen near Dambai.

Micheal Amedzeke Robert, 24, was picked up after he was suspected to have trafficked the victims from Bator into the Volta Region.

Also, on Monday, June 21, the police in its second operations arrested three suspects; Kofi Hormekey, 48, Samuel Wornumawu, 36, and Nterim Boanyi, 26, for illegally transporting minors from Dawa near Abotoase in the Volta Region.

Three minors were also rescued in Njari near Damba.

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Later on Monday, the Police picked up two additional persons; Mawuko Anagli Albert, 73, and Harmond Teye Ametepe 36, for orchestrating the trafficking of the minors at Njari.

Meanwhile, all the victims have been taken to a temporary shelter. Also, the arrested suspects are to be put before the Jasikan Circuit Court on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.