Some 76 Ghanaians who were trafficked to Nigeria under a fraudulent recruitment scheme have been rescued, Ghanaian police say.
The victims, mostly young men, were lured with promises of football contracts with top foreign teams, job placements abroad or assistance with visa processing.
Upon arrival, their travel documents and mobile phones were seized, and they were housed in overcrowded rooms under poor conditions, police say.
The victims were forced to contact their families to solicit about $1,000 (£727) in the guise of paying training or facilitation fees. The fraud masterminds also allegedly used the victims’ phone contact lists to scam their friends and relatives.
Seven Ghanaian suspects have been arrested in connection with the trafficking.
The head of Ghana’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Lydia Yaako Donkor, said at a press briefing that the rescue operation was conducted in collaboration with Interpol and Nigerian law enforcement agencies.
The victims were rescued from different states in Nigeria between 19 May and 27 June this year, and are yet to be repatriated to be reunited with their families in Ghana.
The CID boss cautioned families to verify lucrative job offers and educational opportunities abroad before taking them up.
She said once the victims are convinced into the scam, they are usually instructed to travel by road to an unfamiliar country.
They are later transferred to “holding camps” – rented rooms where as many as 40 people are forced to live in substandard conditions. Under pressure, they are coerced into recruiting others, deceiving even their own families and friends, Ms Donkor said.
“The psychological and economic harm caused to these victims and their families is devastating,” she said, adding that in many cases, the victims are “so malnourished and psychologically affected” that they are unable to resume their normal lives.
QNET, a global lifestyle and wellness marketing company allegedly linked to the recruitment scam, has been banned from operating in Ghana since 2022 for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme.
The company has repeatedly denied any involvement in fraudulent activities.
Cases of individuals being lured with false job promises and getting into internet fraud schemes are not uncommon in Ghana and Nigeria.
The police say efforts are ongoing to arrest all of those behind the scam.