July 9th, 2021 at 11:24 am
The Baastona Police have rescued 10 Nigerian youth from their suspected traffickers at Coastal Estates Down on the Spintex Road in Accra.
Five persons suspected to be the masterminds of the trafficking — identified as Apostle Sunday, 27, from Akwa Ibom State; Monday Echeh, 25, from Edo State; Aboki O.C., 21, from Edo State; Patrick Odez, 26, from Cross River State, and Henry Ochuko, 26, from Edo State, all regional administrative territories in Nigeria — were arrested in connection with the case.
The victims, whose identities the police have kept away for now, are between the ages 21 and 24.
The Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Effia Tenge, confirmed the case to the Daily Graphic.
She said the five suspects were arrested after an unknown person contacted the police through an SOS call and indicated that someone needed help in a house at Coastal Estate Down along the Spintex Road.
The police tracked down the address and managed to locate the house.Some 14 laptops were retrieved from the house.
SOS call
DSP Tenge said the call was received at about 4 p.m. last Tuesday, and police personnel were dispatched to the area immediately.
The cops tracked the call to the location, and the five suspected human traffickers were found in the house.
DSP Tenge said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects had lured the 10 young Nigerians into Ghana to engage in cyber fraud activities.
The young men looked pale and malnourished at the time the police stormed the house to rescue them, DSP Tenge said.
They had marks of assault on their backs, and told the police investigators about their plight.
They said they had been trafficked into Ghana from Nigeria, claiming they were lured in batches into the country to seek greener pastures.However, when they arrived in Ghana, they were camped in a house and prevented from going out.
Abuse
The victims told the police that they were physically abused each time they requested for food or failed to swindle unsuspecting victims to send money through the fraudulent online transactions.
It appeared, DSP Tenge indicated, that the young men had been brought in after the borders were closed.
She said the laptops retrieved from the house would be subjected to forensic tests.
The police have since contacted the Ghana Immigration Service for investigation and further action, while the Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service has also joined the local police to assist with investigations.