Two Nigerian nationals, Paul Oak and Duru Favour have been arrested by the Police at Winneba for allegedly engaging in human trafficking and kidnapping.
Their arrest followed a successful operation conducted by the Winneba police, in collaboration with the Central Regional Anti- Human Trafficking unit to rescue 39 victims suspected to have been trafficked.
According to information relayed to the media by the Central Regional police spokesperson, DSP Irene Oppong, the Winneba District police commander received information on Charles Okorohk, a disgruntled 21 year old Nigerian at Pomadze on July 12, 2020.
The commander, she said, dispatched a team to the scene to interrogate him and conduct further investigations.
She said, “Charles Ikorohk told the team on their arrival during an interview that he arrived in Ghana from Nigeria on January 22 2020 to visit a friend, but couldn’t trace him and got stranded.
He met one Uzo at the Kwame Nkrumah interchange area, who later introduced him to Arisuezo, also a Nigerian”, She continued.
Michael Arisuezo, according to Charles, transported him to Pomadze and kept him in a walled house, together with other Nigerian young men.
Per his testimony, they were locked up in a room, prevented from leaving the compound and subjected to other inhuman treatment.
“Their captives used them to perpetrate Cyber crime activities,” DSP Oppong’s information to the media detailed.
Charles Okorohk, however, managed to escape on July 12 2020 at about 08:00 GMT when he was asked to weed the compound of the house.
Their supervisors, according to the information, had gone out with one of the victims to a mobile money vendor to withdraw money allegedly received fraudulently.
The District Command was informed and immediately led the team to a house, also located at Pomadze and rescued 39 victims, all Nigerians, in their twenties.
All the 39 victims have been handed over to the Central Regional Anti Human trafficking Unit and are currently kept at a Shelter.
A total of 36 laptops were retrieved from the house, whilst suspects Paul Okafor and Duru Favour have been detained to assist with Police investigations.
Meanwhile, the owner of the house is on police enquiry bail while investigations are currently ongoing to arrest Michael Arisuezo and his other accomplices.
Meanwhile, the GNA reports that a total of 54 Nigerian nationals arrested for unlawful entry into Ghana through unapproved routes along the Ghana-Togo frontier are awaiting repatriation, officials of the Ghana Immigration Service have said.
The illegal travellers, who are currently in the custody of Aflao Sector Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) were apprehended at various unapproved routes within the last ten days and detained at the arrival hall of the Aflao GIS, pending their repatriation to their home country.
Mr Frederick Baah Duodu, the Sector Commander of the GIS, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the Service had begun processes to enable the illegal travellers to be deported to their home country.
“On Friday, July 10, 2020 some three officials from the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, led by one Mr Daniel Tonibor, were at Aflao to ascertain the arrest and conditions of their compatriots in custody.”
Mr Duodu said the suspects could spend some more time in custody in order to complete the processes for successful repatriation exercise.
“The Nigerian officials in the country will have to activate processes to get approval letter from the Togo and Benin Embassies. Of course, they will need to visit Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to undergo some processes too to acquire laissez passer for their citizenry.
“Besides, the suspects had undergone port health screening processes with their samples taken for COVID-19 test, which results are yet to arrive,” he added.
The Sector Commander said though the arrival hall was not meant to serve as custody for illegal travellers, the circumstances had compelled the Command to keep the travellers there and assured that the officers were on alert to protect the borders
The post Two Nigerians kidnap 39 countrymen at Pomadze for cybercrime business appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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