The Ondo State Police Command has apprehended members of a human trafficking syndicate accused of luring Ghanaian nationals into Nigeria under the guise of securing lucrative job opportunities in Nigeria, Europe, and Canada.
According to a statement issued on Saturday in Akure by the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ayanlade Olayinka, the operation was initiated following a formal petition from the Interpol Liaison Office in Abuja.
The syndicate was said to be operating primarily from Akure, the Ondo State capital, and targeted victims in Ghana.
The statement reads: “The operation followed a formal petition forwarded through the Interpol Liaison Office, Force Headquarters Abuja, requesting urgent police intervention over a case of transnational human trafficking involving a Ghanaian citizen allegedly lured to Nigeria in 2024 with the promise of employment by an unidentified associate.”
“Acting swiftly on the report, detectives from the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad, led by DSP Lekan Alabi, commenced a targeted investigation and subsequently apprehended three principal suspects identified as: Hayford Nyamekye, Awine Alex, Kojo Felix.”
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects belong to a wider cross-border trafficking network. The group allegedly specializes in deceiving unsuspecting individuals—mostly from West African countries—with fake job offers and promises of visa arrangements to Canada and other Western nations.
“Alarmingly, an additional thirty-nine (39) Ghanaian nationals were discovered to have fallen victim to this same network. Many of them were found without valid travel documents, while those who had any presented expired ones,” the statement continued.
Among the rescued victims was one David Angerinya, a Ghanaian national who had reportedly been trafficked into Nigeria under false pretenses.
The police spokesperson confirmed that all arrested suspects are currently in custody and cooperating with ongoing investigations.
He added: “Furthermore, efforts are ongoing to apprehend the owners and caretakers of the buildings where the victims were harbored, as they may have had knowledge of or directly facilitated the illegal activities of the syndicate.”
It would be recalled that on April 3, 2025, the South West Security Network, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps, rescued 70 Ghanaian nationals from a similar visa syndicate operating in Oda, located in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State.
