Cross-Border Crackdown: Five Arrested As Police Rescue Trafficked Ghanaian In Ogun

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 24-year-old Ghanaian man who was trafficked into the country and arrested five suspects in a coordinated cross-border operation in Ogun State.

The operation was executed by operatives of INTERPOL Annexe, FCID Alagbon, Lagos, following a request for assistance from the National Central Bureau in Accra, Ghana, on September 15. Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday, September 28.

According to Hundeyin, the rescue was part of ongoing efforts to combat transnational crimes. He revealed that the victim and his father had been lured into Nigeria in July 2025 by a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman, Hassana Abban, who allegedly promised to facilitate their travel to Canada. Instead, she defrauded them of 40,000 Cedis, equivalent to about ₦4.96 million, under the guise of travel arrangements.

Upon their arrival in Nigeria, their passports and phones were seized, and they were coerced into working on fraudulent online trading platforms. Acting swiftly on intelligence shared through INTERPOL, police operatives tracked and rescued the victims on September 16 in Ofada, Ogun State.

Abban was subsequently arrested alongside four accomplices identified as Odubuasi David, a Nigerian; Yahaya Salifu, a Ghanaian; Sherifa Haruna, a Ghanaian; and Ebenezer Ofosu, also a Ghanaian. All five suspects are currently in custody as investigations continue.

Hundeyin confirmed that the victims have since been reunited with their families in Ghana.

Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the officers involved for their professionalism and reiterated the Force’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in the fight against human trafficking and other cross-border crimes. He assured both Nigerians and international partners that criminal syndicates engaged in such operations would be brought to justice.