Two Nigerians have been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment each by a Ghanaian court for trafficking fellow Nigerians into Ghana with false promises of employment before allegedly forcing them to engage in cybercrime.
The convicts, Kingsley Ndifon, 29, and Emmanuel Akong, 25, were found guilty of human trafficking and causing harm by Circuit Court ‘B’ in Tema after a full trial.
According to a statement issued by the Ghana Police Service, the two men lured Nigerian nationals to Ghana with promises of employment before allegedly holding them captive and compelling them to engage in internet fraud.
The suspects were arrested on August 20, 2023, at Sebrepor, a suburb of Tema, after the Afienya District Police Command received a distress call that several people were being held against their will.
A police patrol team, assisted by residents, stormed the house and rescued 11 Nigerian nationals who had been confined there.
The officers also arrested the two suspects and recovered 16 laptops and an iPad during a search of the premises.
Police investigations revealed that the victims had been recruited from Nigeria with promises of employment but were allegedly forced into cyber-related criminal activities after arriving in Ghana.
The police said the suspects confiscated the victims’ mobile phones and identity cards and compelled them to carry out internet fraud using laptops provided to them.
Investigators further found that the victims were fed only once daily and subjected to severe physical abuse whenever they failed to comply with the suspects’ instructions.
The Ghana Police Service said some of the victims were allegedly beaten with laptop cables and machetes, resulting in injuries, including cutlass wounds.
The victims were also found to be malnourished and in poor health when they were rescued.
The two men were subsequently arraigned before Circuit Court ‘B’ in Tema, presided over by Her Honour Naomi Adusei Amamiampong Kucour, on charges including conspiracy to commit a crime, human trafficking and causing harm.
At the conclusion of the trial, the court convicted both defendants of human trafficking and causing harm.
Each convict was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for human trafficking and 10 years for causing harm, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently.
Reacting to the judgment, the Tema Regional Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to combating human trafficking, cyber-related crimes and other forms of abuse.
The command also urged members of the public to promptly report suspected cases of human trafficking and other criminal activities to the police.