The suspects
The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) in the Central Region has arrested two Nigerians at Gomoa Pomadze on suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking.
According to police, the suspects, Paul Okafor and Duru Favour, are said to be engaged in kidnapping and trafficking of young Nigerians to perpetrate cybercrime and other criminal activities in the country.
DSP Irene Oppong, Regional Police Public Relations Officer and Head of the AHTU, said 39 victims, all Nigerians in their twenties, were rescued in the process.
She said on Sunday, July 12, at about 11:00 a.m., the Winneba District Police Command, acting on information, dispatched a police patrol team to Gomoa Pomadze where they met a 21-year-old Nigerian, Charles Ikorohk, in the company of three Ghanaians.
She said Ikorohk told the police that he arrived in the country from Nigeria on Wednesday, January 22, to visit a friend but could not trace him.
He said he got stranded in Accra where he met one Uzo at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange area, who later introduced him to one Arisuezo, also a Nigerian.
She said Arisuezo brought Ikorohk to Winneba and kept him in a walled house together with other young men from Nigerian.
According to DSP Oppong, Arisuezo prevented his captives from leaving the compound and subjected them to all forms of inhuman treatment and also engaged them in cybercrime activities.
She said Charles managed to escape on Sunday, July 12 about 8:00 a.m. when he was tasked to weed the compound of the house while their supervisors went out with one of the victims to a mobile money vendor to withdraw some cash fraudulently received.
She said the police, after receiving a tip-off, quickly went to the house and rescued the 39 Nigerians and arrested the suspects.
Thirty-six laptops were also retrieved from the house. DSP Oppong said the owner of the house was arrested and given a police enquiry bail, while investigations were ongoing to arrest Michael Arisuezo and his other accomplices. GNA