Ghana Immigration arrests 93 Nigerians over internet fraud, immigration violations

The Ghana Immigration Service has arrested 93 Nigerian nationals over alleged involvement in internet fraud and violations of the country’s immigration laws, in what appears to be the latest in a series of crackdowns on cybercrime networks operating in the West African nation.

In a statement issued on Monday by GIS spokesperson Maud Anima Quainoo, the service said the arrests followed an intelligence-led raid on a suspected internet fraud network operating at Devtraco Estate in Accra. The suspects comprise 91 males and two females.

Crucially, the operation also led to the rescue of 73 victims who had reportedly endured severe abuse and torture at the hands of the suspects. The rescued individuals have since been repatriated to Nigeria, the statement confirmed.

Items recovered from the premises painted a picture of a sophisticated criminal enterprise. Authorities seized 82 laptops, 57 mobile phones, 17 television sets, counterfeit US dollar notes, and fake gold bars, alongside several household appliances believed to have been used to support the fraudulent operations.

Preliminary investigations indicate that some of the suspects entered Ghana through unauthorised border crossings, while others allegedly overstayed the 90-day visa-free period available to citizens of the Economic Community of West African States member countries.

The GIS said investigations are continuing at its headquarters to determine the full scale of the criminal network, and urged all foreign nationals in Ghana to comply with the country’s immigration and criminal laws.

Monday’s arrests are part of a troubling pattern of similar operations targeting Nigerian nationals in Ghana. In January, the Ghana Police Service arrested 53 Nigerians allegedly involved in cybercrime and rescued 44 suspected victims of forced labour. In separate operations last December, authorities arrested approximately 78 Nigerians linked to cybercrime activities.

The recurring nature of such operations has raised questions about the scale of cross-border criminal networks exploiting Ghana as a base of operations, as well as the adequacy of existing border management frameworks within the ECOWAS region. (Vanguard)