Nigeria Police Rescue Trafficked Ghanaian National, Arrest Five In Cross-Border Operation

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 24-year-old Ghanaian national who was trafficked into Nigeria and arrested five suspects in a coordinated cross-border operation carried out by operatives of INTERPOL Annex, FCID Alagbon, Lagos.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, by Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the rescue operation was conducted in Ofada, Ogun State, following a formal request for assistance from the National Central Bureau (NCB) Accra on September 15.

Hundeyin said: “Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim and his father were trafficked into Nigeria in July 2025 by a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman, identified as Hassana Abban, under the pretext of facilitating their travel to Canada.

“Abban allegedly collected 40,000 Ghanaian Cedis (approximately ₦4.96 million) for the fake travel arrangements.”

The police spokesman added that upon arrival in Nigeria, the suspects reportedly seized the victims’ passports and mobile phones and coerced them into activities linked to fraudulent online trading platforms.

The police said following intelligence gathering, police operatives rescued the victims on September 16 in Ogun State.

“The operation also led to the arrest of Abban and four accomplices: Odubuasi David (Nigerian), Yahaya Salifu (Ghanaian), Sherifa Haruna (Ghanaian), and Ebenezer Ofosu (Ghanaian).

“The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue,” Hundeyin noted.

Meanwhile, the rescued victims have since been reunited with their families in Ghana.

However, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised the professionalism of the operatives, reaffirming the Force’s commitment to regional collaboration against human trafficking and transnational crimes.

He assured that no criminal syndicate operating across borders would escape justice.