‘Our story’ – Victims narrate ordeal after rescue from Ghana trafficking ring
Painful stories of deception, hardship and lost dreams filled the air on Friday as 204 Nigerian victims of human trafficking returned home from Ghana after being rescued from forced cybercrime activities. The victims, a total of 204 young Nigerians, were received at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Lagos Zonal […]
Some of the rescued victims from a cyber trafficking network in Ghana by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Lagos Zonal Command, Ikeja GRA, on Friday
Painful stories of deception, hardship and lost dreams filled the air on Friday as 204 Nigerian victims of human trafficking returned home from Ghana after being rescued from forced cybercrime activities.
The victims, a total of 204 young Nigerians, were received at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Lagos Zonal Command in Ikeja GRA. They were rescued following coordinated operation, code-named “Operation Rescue Shield,” carried out by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Ghana.
Upon arrival at the NAPTIP premises, the victims were separated from 27 suspects who were also brought back to Nigeria for alleged involvement in human trafficking and internet fraud.
In the spacious compound of NAPTIP, chairs had been neatly arranged for the victims, where they sat quietly, some appearing dazed, others grateful to be home. Officers from NAPTIP, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), and EOCO addressed them briefly, encouraging them not to lose hope and assuring them of support in reintegration and rehabilitation.
One of the victims, a young man who chose not to disclose his name, described how he was lured into the scheme under the pretence of legitimate work but soon realised he was trapped.
“I didn’t have any chance to come outside,” he said. “The first day I got there, I met the chairman that connected me. He asked me to have a seat and explained everything about what was going on. I realised I didn’t have a choice because I didn’t even have money for transportation, so I decided to remain there. He wasn’t paying me. He said whenever we get money from the work, it would be split into three and I would have my share.”
Joshua Ekene, 20, who also shared his ordeal, said he travelled to Ghana in April 2023 under the impression that he was going to do office work, given his background in computer studies. However, on arrival, he discovered he had been deceived.
“I was told that I am going to do office work because I learnt computer,” Joshua said. “When I got there, it wasn’t what I expected. I tried to get back home but they said I could not leave without getting what I came for. Some people ran away because they had access to go outside, but we that just came were not allowed to go out. I was there for two years.”
Joshua revealed that he lived in an apartment with 19 others. They were only fed once daily, usually around 6pm, and were subjected to strenuous work conditions, operating from 10:45pm until 6am.
“What we do is orthopaedic surgeon and doctor dating scam,” he said. “I have gotten some money from the work but I wasn’t given the money and I wasn’t even told the amount I made,” he said.
Another returnee, Benita, said she was not involved in cybercrime activities but was caught up in the operation because she lived with her boyfriend in Ghana.
“I am not a suspect or a victim,” she said. “I wasn’t trafficked. I was only staying with my boyfriend in Ghana and I was brought back to Nigeria when the apartment was raided.”
The rescue operation was triggered by a tip-off received by the EOCO anti-human trafficking unit in Ghana. According to Dominic Mensah, head of the unit, an informant reported suspicious activities involving Nigerians in an estate where 26 houses were allegedly being used for internet fraud.
Mensah said following weeks of surveillance, EOCO and officers from Ghana’s national security and police services stormed the estate at about 3:30am, simultaneously raiding all 26 houses. A total of 233 individuals were initially arrested. After screening, those identified as victims were separated from suspects.
Most of the victims, Mensah said, had entered Ghana through illegal routes and were undocumented. Many had been trapped in the syndicate’s operations for months or even years. Some, he noted, were initially promised legitimate work opportunities but were later coerced into cybercrime.
He added that the owners of the estate where the activities took place are under investigation for aiding and abetting the crime.
NIDCOM warns Nigerians against overseas job offers
Receiving the returnees, the Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, urged them to remain hopeful and warned other young Nigerians to be cautious of offers of overseas jobs that seem too good to be true. She stressed the importance of awareness and the need to name and shame traffickers, noting that traffickers often rely on complicity from family members.
“If these boys knew what they were going to face, they would not have gone,” Dabiri-Erewa said. “We must raise awareness. Traffickers must be treated the way we treat drug traffickers — name and shame them.”
Some parents failed in their responsibilities – NAPTIP
Comfort Agboko, Lagos Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, emphasised the various deceitful tactics traffickers employ to lure victims. She said traffickers often advise victims not to inform their families, promise office or supermarket jobs, or claim to facilitate travel abroad for industrial work, only to later subject them to exploitation.
She also expressed concerns that some parents had failed in their responsibilities, citing cases where families place unreasonable financial expectations on their children, thereby exposing them to traffickers.
“Nowadays, you will see youths, young ones, their parents will be demanding too much from them. So, these are some of the things that cause these youths to fall into the hands of traffickers,” she said.
The victims
Figures released by NAPTIP showed that a majority of the victims were from Edo State, numbering 76. Other states represented included Delta (17 victims), Bayelsa (13), Imo (19), Enugu (12), Ebonyi (8), Cross River (7), Abia (9), Anambra (6), Niger (4), Akwa Ibom (3), Kogi (6), Ondo (1) and Osun (1).
Among the victims, 12 were under the age of 18.
Officials assured the victims that after profiling and counselling, arrangements would be made for their rehabilitation and safe return to their home states.
Wema Bank Nigeria, in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria, sponsored the transportation, feeding, and stipends provided to the victims upon their arrival.
While investigations are ongoing, authorities have reiterated calls for tighter regional measures under ECOWAS to curb human trafficking, citing the abuse of the free movement protocol across West Africa as a major challenge.
The suspects handed over to NAPTIP are expected to undergo further screening before being transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.