The Federal Government has announced that no fewer than 231 young Nigerians who were trafficked to Ghana are expected to arrive in Lagos on Friday, where they will be officially received by government representatives.
The return follows a recent operation by Ghanaian authorities, which rescued 219 victims from a human trafficking network that coerced them into cybercrime activities. Most of the victims, primarily young men, were found confined in around 25 rooms within a residential estate in Accra.
During her visit to Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, conveyed Nigeria’s gratitude for the swift action taken. In a statement released by her media aide, Magnus Eze, on Thursday, she praised the professionalism of the EOCO team and their compassionate treatment of the victims.
According to the minister, the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana had previously alerted local authorities about the alarming situation. Some of the victims had been physically abused—one was said to have suffered broken legs for allegedly failing to send illicit earnings.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the victims’ ordeal as a modern form of slavery and urged young Nigerians to be cautious of false job opportunities abroad, which are often traps set by traffickers. She reassured the victims that the Federal Government is committed to tackling youth unemployment through various skills acquisition initiatives.
She encouraged them to seize this second chance and engage with available government programs once back home.
“You are fortunate,” she said. “Next time, it might not be a country like Ghana—where we share strong bilateral ties. In other places, cybercrime carries heavy penalties, and some Nigerians are still languishing in prisons because of such offences.”
Highlighting ongoing diplomatic efforts, she mentioned attempts to finalise an agreement with Ethiopia for the transfer of sentenced persons, allowing Nigerian nationals imprisoned abroad to return home.
She thanked EOCO for their collaboration with Nigeria’s anti-trafficking agency, NAPTIP, and expressed appreciation that the rescued youths would not be handed over to law enforcement for imprisonment, which is the usual protocol.
“This approach gives them a real chance to reintegrate, instead of falling into another cycle of hardship,” she said.
Reaffirming President Bola Tinubu’s citizen-focused foreign policy, Odumegwu-Ojukwu also assured the Ghanaian government of Nigeria’s continued partnership in tackling organised crime.
EOCO’s Executive Director, Bashiru Dapilah, who detailed how his agency uncovered the operation, confirmed that several Ghanaians involved—including the estate owner—have been arrested and will be prosecuted.
He emphasised that although the crime happened in Ghana, there are suspected collaborators in Nigeria. Dapilah called for enhanced cross-border collaboration to ensure all perpetrators are brought to justice.
“This is not just a Ghanaian issue,” he said. “We need Nigeria’s support to trace those behind this operation and hold them accountable.”
