The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 24-year-old Ghanaian who was trafficked into Nigeria under the guise of a Canada travel arrangement, and arrested five suspects in Ogun State.
Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the operation was carried out by INTERPOL Annex, FCID Alagbon, Lagos, following a request from Interpol Accra on September 15.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in its sustained efforts to combat crimes, has successfully rescued a victim of human trafficking, a 24-year-old Ghanaian national, and arrested five suspects, including both Ghanaian and Nigerian nationals, in a well-coordinated operation by operatives of INTERPOL Annex, FCID Alagbon, Lagos, in Ofada, Ogun State,” the statement read.
According to Hundeyin, preliminary investigations showed that the victim and his father were lured into Nigeria in July 2025 by a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman, Hassana Abban, who promised to help them travel to Canada.
“The suspect, investigations reveal, obtained forty thousand (40,000) Cedis, approximately four million, nine hundred and sixty thousand (N4,960,000) Naira, for the supposed travel arrangements,” Hundeyin stated.
He added that upon arrival in Nigeria, their Ghanaian passports and mobile phones were seized, and they were forced into activities linked to fraudulent online trading platforms.
The police spokesman said the rescue was carried out on September 16, leading to the arrest of Abban and four others identified as Odubuasi David, a Nigerian; Yahaya Salifu, a Ghanaian; Sherifa Haruna, a Ghanaian; and Ebenezer Ofosu, also a Ghanaian.
“All five suspects are currently in custody and further investigations are ongoing. The rescued victims have since been reunited with their family back in Ghana,” he confirmed.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the professionalism of the officers, stressing the importance of cross-border cooperation in tackling human trafficking and transnational crimes.
He assured that “no criminal syndicate operating across borders will escape the long arm of the law.”
