Ghana Police Rescue 76 Ghanaians Trafficked in Nigeria.
Ghanaian police say they have rescued 76 Ghanaians who were trafficked to Nigeria through a fraudulent recruitment scheme.
The victims, mostly young men, were lured with promises of contracts with top football teams abroad, good job opportunities and assistance with visa processing.
Upon arrival, their travel documents and mobile phones were confiscated and they were confined in dusty, cramped rooms, police said.
The victims were forced to contact their families in the name of training fees or accommodation costs. The fraudsters are also alleged to have used the contact list on the victims’ phones to defraud their families and friends.
Police have arrested seven Ghanaians in connection with the trafficking case.
In collaboration with Interpol and Nigerian law enforcement agencies, the rescue operation was overseen by the head of the Ghana Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Ms. Lydia Yako Donkor, she told a press conference.
The victims were recovered from locations in various states in Nigeria between May 19 and June 27, but they have not yet been repatriated and are currently awaiting reunification with their families.
The CID chief warned that families should only send their close relatives after properly vetting and verifying offers of lucrative jobs and educational opportunities abroad.
Describing the scam, she said that victims are led by road to unknown countries and are then forced to live in substandard conditions in rented rooms called “holding camps” with up to 40 people.
Ms. Donkor explained that the pressure would force the victims to recruit more people, and eventually even defraud their own families and friends.
“The victims and their families are suffering severe emotional and financial losses as a result of this fraud. Many of them are suffering from malnutrition and severe mental health problems, and are unable to resume their normal lives,” she said.
QNET, a global lifestyle and wellness marketing company believed to be behind the recruitment fraud scheme, has been banned in Ghana since 2022 on charges of running a Ponzi scheme.
QNET has repeatedly denied involvement in fraudulent activities.
It is not uncommon for youths to be duped by false job promises and online fraud schemes in Ghana and Nigeria.
Police said efforts are underway to arrest and severely punish all those behind the fraud.