219 rescued from human trafficking and cybercrime ring in Ghana

In a sweeping operation led by the Financial and Organised Crime Administrative center (EOCO), 219 americans—essentially international nationals—were rescued from a suspected human trafficking and cybercrime ring operating in Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra.

The victims, largely young individuals from during West Africa, were lured into Ghana with false guarantees of well-paying jobs and the next lifestyles. Instead, they were held against their will under harsh and exploitative prerequisites.

At a press briefing, EOCO’s Acting Govt Director, Abdul Bashiru, revealed that practically the total victims had been confined for extended intervals, with some enduring over a one year in captivity. “A Nigerian victim disclosed that he was fed only once a day and had no freedom to leave the premises,” Bashiru said.

Authorities uncovered a trove of proof on the scene, including laptops, internet routers, and other tools believed to were dilapidated in online fraud schemes. Victims were housed in crowded, unsanitary prerequisites, compelled to work long hours under surveillance.

EOCO, in partnership with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Nigerian Excessive Fee, and international stakeholders, has begun a detailed screening direction of to separate victims from suspects, and to determine minors among these rescued.

During the ongoing operation at Kunzak Estates in Oyarifa, journalists captured visuals of suspects being lined up, screened, and resting on EOCO’s premises whereas investigations continued. Officers train they ask the screening direction of to be executed within 24 hours.

Abdul Bashiru emphasized EOCO’s commitment to dismantling your total trafficking network: “We’ve mapped out recommendations for stronger collaboration between EOCO and the CID to intensify efforts against transnational organized crime.”

Repatriation plans for loads of the victims—particularly Nigerian nationals—are already in circulate. EOCO additionally confirmed that an analogous operations are being rolled out in other ingredients of the country, targeting what it calls a “well-coordinated trafficking network.”

This newest operation highlights Ghana’s growing role as a transit and destination point in the battle against execrable-border human trafficking and cybercrime.