Nigeria Police Rescues Trafficked Ghanaian National, Arrests Five in Cross-Border Operation

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 24-year-old Ghanaian national from human traffickers and arrested five suspects in a coordinated operation carried out by operatives of INTERPOL Annex, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos.

The rescue, conducted in Ofada, Ogun State, followed a request for assistance from the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Accra, Ghana, on 15 September 2025.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim and his father were allegedly trafficked into Nigeria in July 2025 by Hassana Abban, a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman residing in Ofada. She reportedly collected 40,000 Ghanaian Cedis (₦4.96 million) under the pretext of facilitating their travel to Canada. However, upon arrival in Nigeria, their passports and phones were confiscated, and they were coerced into suspected fraudulent online trading activities.

On 16 September 2025, acting on intelligence, police operatives stormed the location in Ogun State, rescued the victims, and arrested Abban alongside four accomplices: Odubuasi David (Nigerian), Yahaya Salifu (Ghanaian), Sherifa Haruna (Ghanaian), and Ebenezer Ofosu (Ghanaian). The suspects are currently in custody as investigations continue.

The rescued victims have since been reunited with their family in Ghana.

Commending the successful operation, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised the professionalism of the operatives and reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to regional cooperation in combating human trafficking and transnational crimes.

He assured that no cross-border criminal syndicate would escape justice.