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A court in Ghana has sentenced two Nigerian men to 20 years in prison each for trafficking fellow Nigerians into the country and allegedly forcing them to engage in cybercrime.
Kingsley Ndifon, 29, and Emmanuel Akong, 25, were convicted of human trafficking and causing harm by Circuit Court ‘B’ in Tema after a full trial.
The Ghana Police Service said the two men lured Nigerian nationals to Ghana with promises of jobs but allegedly confined them and forced them to participate in internet fraud.
The suspects were arrested on August 20, 2023, at Sebrepor, a suburb of Tema, after police received a distress call that several people were being held against their will.
A police team, assisted by residents, raided the house and rescued 11 Nigerians who had been confined there. Officers also arrested Ndifon and Akong and recovered 16 laptops and an iPad.
Police investigations found that the victims had been recruited in Nigeria with promises of employment but were instead forced into cyber-related criminal activities after arriving in Ghana.
The Ghana Police Service said the suspects seized the victims’ mobile phones and identity cards and made them use laptops to carry out internet fraud.
The victims were reportedly fed only once a day and subjected to physical abuse when they refused or failed to follow instructions. Police said some were beaten with laptop cables and machetes, leaving them with injuries, including cutlass wounds.
Investigators also found the victims malnourished and in poor health when they were rescued.
Ndifon and Akong were subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, human trafficking and causing harm before Circuit Court ‘B’ in Tema, presided over by Naomi Adusei Amamiampong Kucour.
At the end of the trial, the court convicted both men of human trafficking and causing harm.
They were each sentenced to 20 years for human trafficking and 10 years for causing harm, with the sentences to run concurrently. This means each man will serve a total of 20 years in prison.
The Tema Regional Police Command said the ruling reinforced its commitment to tackling human trafficking, cybercrime and other forms of abuse.
The command also urged the public to report suspected cases of human trafficking and other criminal activity to the police.
