Twenty-eight Ghanaian nationals trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire by an organised criminal network arrived home on May 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, even as authorities grapple with a wider crisis that has ensnared hundreds more.
The group, predominantly young people, was repatriated following a coordinated operation between Ghanaian security agencies and the Ghana Embassy in Abidjan. The Ministry said the returnees are now assisting investigators working to dismantle the trafficking network and identify its leadership.
“The rescued human trafficking victims are safely in Ghana and currently assisting with further investigations,” the Ministry stated.
Their return, while significant, represents only a fraction of the problem. A joint intelligence operation led by the Ghana Police Service Anti-Human Trafficking Unit uncovered between 400 and 450 victims in a single camp in Bondoukou, Côte d’Ivoire. Those rescued included pregnant women, nursing mothers and children as young as two months old, with ages ranging from 16 to 60.
Victims are lured from across all social classes, including teachers, nurses and bank executives, with promises of relocation to Europe. Families often sell valuables to fund the journey, paying up to GH¢130,000, only for their relatives to be trafficked through transit countries including Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal and Liberia, and told the stops are merely for documentation.
Once in the camps, victims are subjected to psychological pressure and forced into criminal activities including cybercrime and prostitution.
The Ministry commended Ivorian authorities for intelligence sharing and operational collaboration, and reaffirmed its commitment to prosecuting the network’s masterminds. It urged Ghanaians to verify all job and travel offers through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment Relations, or Ghana’s diplomatic missions abroad.
