The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has received 231 Nigerians repatriated from Ghana, including 27 individuals suspected of human trafficking, in a major breakthrough against international human trafficking and cybercrime.
The returnees, comprising mostly young men and four women believed to be victims of trafficking, were handed over to NAPTIP and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) by the Ghanaian Government, through the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The repatriation followed a coordinated raid on a human trafficking and cybercrime syndicate operating out of a gated estate in Ghana, known to house illegal cybercrime operations.
At the official handover held at NAPTIP’s Lagos Zonal Command in Ikeja, EOCO official Dominic Mensah explained that the syndicate was dismantled through “Operation Rescue Shield”, launched after credible intelligence about suspicious activities in 26 houses within a single estate.
“We received a complaint on March 28th from an informant alleging that a group of Nigerians were using young people for cybercrime,” said Staff Officer Dominic Meza of EOCO’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit.
He added that surveillance was conducted, and the operation was executed at 3:30 a.m., with support from Ghana’s national security and police forces. A total of 233 persons were arrested during the raid.
According to EOCO, most of the victims were lured into Ghana under the guise of job opportunities but were later held against their will and forced into cybercrime operations. Some had reportedly been in captivity for years, subjected to harsh conditions and used for fraudulent activities.
The victims and suspects will now undergo further screening and rehabilitation, while investigations continue into the wider trafficking network believed to be operating across West Africa.
