93 Nigerians nabbed in Ghana over alleged internet fraud

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 authorities say is part of an ongoing crackdown on cybercrime networks operating in the country.

In a statement issued on Monday, the service’s spokesperson, Maud Anima Quainoo, said the arrests followed an intelligence-led raid on a suspected internet fraud network at Devtraco Estate in Accra.

According to the statement, the suspects include 91 males and two females.

The operation also led to the rescue of 73 victims who were allegedly subjected to severe abuse and torture by the suspects. Authorities said the victims have since been repatriated to Nigeria.

Officials described the raid as part of efforts by the Ghana Immigration Service to clamp down on organised cybercrime and immigration violations in the West African nation.

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.

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