POLICE RESCUE TRAFFICKED GHANAIAN IN OGUN, ARREST FIVE SUSPECTS IN CROSS-BORDER OPERATION

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 24-year-old Ghanaian national trafficked into Nigeria and arrested five suspects in a cross-border sting operation in Ogun State.

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the rescue was carried out by operatives of INTERPOL Annex, FCID Alagbon, Lagos, in Ofada, Ogun State, following a request for assistance from the National Central Bureau (NCB) Accra on September 15.

Hundeyin said investigations revealed that the victim and his father were trafficked from Ghana in July 2025 by 25-year-old Hassana Abban, a Ghanaian woman based in Ofada, who had promised to facilitate their travel to Canada.

“The suspect obtained 40,000 Cedis, approximately N4.96 million, under the pretext of arranging the trip,” Hundeyin stated.

On arrival in Nigeria, the victims’ Ghanaian passports and mobile phones were confiscated, and they were forced into fraudulent online trading activities.

Acting on intelligence shared by Interpol Accra, Nigerian operatives tracked the victims’ location and rescued them on September 16.

The police also arrested Abban alongside four accomplices identified as Odubuasi David (Nigerian), Yahaya Salifu (Ghanaian), Sherifa Haruna (Ghanaian), and Ebenezer Ofosu (Ghanaian).

“All five suspects are in custody and investigations are ongoing,” Hundeyin confirmed, adding that the victims have been reunited with their family in Ghana.

Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, lauded the operation, commending the professionalism of the officers involved. He reiterated the police force’s commitment to regional cooperation in tackling human trafficking and other transnational crimes.

“No criminal syndicate operating across borders will escape the long arm of the law,” the IGP assured.