The Federal Government has praised Ghanaian authorities for rescuing at least 219 young Nigerians who were trafficked and forced into cybercrime activities in the West African nation.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, expressed gratitude during her visit to the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) in Accra, where the victims were being held following their rescue.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting with EOCO Executive, Director Mr. Bashiru Dapilah and his team, the Minister applauded the Ghanaian authorities for treating the rescued victims with dignity and professionalism.
She described the situation as “modern slavery, obnoxious, and man’s inhumanity to man.”
“Prior to their rescue, these boys had been locked up in about 25 rooms within the estate, where they were used to perpetrate cybercrimes. At the time of their arrest, many of them, being locked inside confined spaces with computers for weeks on end without being let outside, were even unable to get their eyes to adjust to the sun when they were led outside those dark rooms. Some had been serially abused with visible lacerations inflicted on them by their criminal ‘don’, while one had his legs broken for not tendering all the proceeds of his cybercrime,” she said.
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The Minister further cautioned Nigerian youths against falling for enticing job offers abroad, warning that such promises could be traps set by human traffickers.
She added that the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana had alerted her about the victims and how they were held under harsh conditions before a sting operation busted the syndicate.
Addressing the victims, Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the victims to embrace the Federal Government’s intervention programmes designed to empower youth with technical education and life skills under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
The EOCO Director, Mr. Dapilah, who led the operation, confirmed that his team acted on intelligence and arrested the estate owner, promising that prosecution would follow.
“We are not looking at this as a Nigerian crime because you have some backing from Ghanaians. The crime is committed here in Ghana, but we know that somebody in Nigeria was behind it,” he said.
Dapilah emphasized the importance of cross-border cooperation to bring the traffickers to justice, saying: “As you go home, take the message to our counterpart in Nigeria that we will be needing collaboration to round up the perpetrators.”
He also commended the majority of Nigerians in Ghana, noting they were law-abiding and contributed meaningfully to the country’s development.
The Chargé d’Affaires at the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, Ambassador Dayo Adeoye, who also echoed Dapilah’s sentiments , noted that over three million Nigerians live in Ghana, most of whom are engaged in legitimate activities.
As part of efforts to support the victims, at least 231 trafficked Nigerians, including those rescued in other recent operations, are expected to arrive in Lagos today and will be handed over to Nigerian authorities.
