Ghana Police, in a collaborative intelligence-aided operation with the operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, have rescued twenty Ghanaians who were trafficked to the Uyo Local Government Area of Abia State.

The twenty include 10 females and 10 males,all confirmed to be Ghanaian nationals.

The rescue was announced by the command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), DSP Timfon John, in a statement in Uyo on Wednesday.

In the statement, she disclosed that the rescue operation was undertaken following an official request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and INTERPOL.

“On August 18, 2025, operatives of the command successfully rescued 20 Ghanians trafficked to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

‘’The human trafficking victims were rescued from a compound in Obio Etoi village, Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, after an operation that was a collaborative effort following a formal request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and INTERPOL, she revealed adding that "the raid led to the rescue of 10 males and 10 females (names withheld), all confirmed to be Ghanaian nationals," the statement read.

The victims who were rescued in a well-fenced building around 4 pm, John revealed, appeared disoriented and unable to speak. Investigators believe their orientation and countenance suggest potential hypnotism hence their inability to assist with investigations.

“Acting on credible information, operatives surrounded a well-fenced building at approximately 1617 hours on Monday, August 18, 2025

‘’The victims presently appear disoriented and have been unable to provide useful information, leading investigators to suspect they might have been hypnotised", John added.

However, investigations are underway "...and further developments will be communicated to the public as they become available,’’ the statement added.

The Nigerian Police supported Operation mark about the third rescue operation successfully carried out by the Ghana Police Service this year.

About four months ago, a group of two hundred and two (202) Ghanaians who were lured with fake promises such as lucrative job opportunities in foreign countries by a human trafficking and scam syndicate, Q-Net (QuestNet International), operating in Nigeria, were rescued and repatriated, according to Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

“The traffickers lure unsuspecting compatriots under the pretext of facilitating their travel to France or other European countries for lucrative job opportunities”, he said.

He said 78 individuals were repatriated through the Abuja Mission and 124 individuals returned via the Lagos Mission.

“Our mission in Nigeria, Mr Speaker, has recently rescued and repatriated 202 Ghanaians, 78 through the Abuja Mission and 124 through the Lagos Mission.”

He made these revelations on the floor of Parliament yesterday, Wednesday, July 24, while he was addressing lawmakers during a session focused on Ghana’s diplomatic and security efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly the operations of the Q-Net syndicate in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

In his update, he disclosed that the victims fell for the lies and fraudulent operations allegedly spearheaded by the syndicate group, a notorious recruitment and trafficking network. Victims are mostly commuted to countries like Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, in the name of making transits and cooked up stories such as visa processing in the aforementioned countries are relatively faster than they are in Ghana.

“Victims are first brought to supposed transit countries like Nigeria or Côte d’Ivoire, where the scammers claim visa processing is quicker than in Ghana,” he explained.

The North Tongu Member of Parliament also added that approximately five hundred (500) Ghanaian nationals are reportedly being kept hostage against their will in Côte d’Ivoire. Diplomatic efforts are currently underway to identify and safely bring them back home.

“According to the Ghana Embassy in Abidjan, the clandestine nature of the operations of the scammers and the silent arrival of victims in Côte d’Ivoire make it challenging to determine the number of Ghanaians being held hostage. The Mission estimates that there are over 500 Ghanaians currently held in secluded locations. Efforts are being made to bring them home, ” he continued.

These victims, the Minister said, paid huge sums of money to secure promised jobs and travel opportunities.

He disclosed that “These individuals were lured with promises of overseas travel opportunities and paid between GH¢18,000 and GH¢40,000 to scammers purporting to facilitate travel documents and transit to destinations such as France, Canada, Belgium, and Qatar”.

In a shocking revelation, Mr Ablakwa announced that the leaders of the trafficking syndicate being operated in Cote d’Ivoire are reportedly Ghanaians, some of whom were victims of the scheme. Instead of fighting the system to save others from falling prey, they have joined the syndicate and are scamming others to recover their personal losses.

“Investigations have revealed that some of the ringleaders behind the Q-Net operations in Côte d’Ivoire are themselves Ghanaians—former victims of the same scam—who are now exploiting others in a desperate attempt to recover their personal losses”, he revealed.

Despite the significant rescues made so far, Ablakwa assured Parliament that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with national and international security agencies, is intensifying efforts to dismantle the trafficking networks and implement lasting solutions to what he described as a “deeply troubling trend.”

He said his outfit will launch an awareness and sensitisation campaign to educate the public to be vigilant when such schemes are presented to them.

"Beginning in September, the Ministry will roll out a nationwide sensitisation campaign in collaboration with the NCCE to educate the public on the dangers of QNET-related scams”, calling on all Members of Parliament to also educate their constituents to save them from becoming the next victims.

“I urge Honourable Members of Parliament to educate their constituents and help raise awareness to prevent more Ghanaians from falling victim to such deceptive recruitment schemes”, he added.

Ghana’s rescue efforts this year have been quite commendable, given the number of people that have been freed and repatriated so far.

On Monday, June 30, this year, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the CID, in a press briefing, revealed that 76 Ghanaian victims had been rescued in Nigeria between May 19 and June 27, 2025, in collaboration with Interpol and Nigerian authorities.

During the rescue missions, seven Ghanaian suspects were arrested and were in custody in Nigeria at that time.

She reiterated that some of the victims were promised football contracts and later kept in overcrowded, unhygienic camps with their phones and documents confiscated.

Following their being kept hostage, some were forced to reach their relatives and make demands for ransoms in exchange for their freedom under false pretences.

DCOP Donkor described the Q-Net scheme as “highly deceptive and exploitative,” targeting youth and professionals alike.

She warned that anyone involved in recruiting or harbouring victims would face prosecution under Ghana’s Anti-Human Trafficking Act.

Ghana’s Anti-Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694) is a comprehensive law aimed at preventing, punishing, and reducing human trafficking, while also protecting and rehabilitating victims.

Reacting to the growing links of fraud and human trafficking to their company, QNET’s Global CEO Malou Caluza publicly rebuffed that their company was a transparent, legitimate direct-selling company, emphasising that “some bad apples" had misused the brand in response to scam allegations on December 9, 2021.

In her statement, she said:

“We are very transparent as a company. Everything you want to know about QNET is available on our website and our social media pages.”

She also highlighted QNET’s commitment to education and awareness, noting that the company uses social media campaigns, stakeholder engagement, PR programs, seminars, and training to help people understand the difference between legitimate direct selling and illegal pyramid schemes.

This was after a wide reportage and tag that their company hid behind “ e-marketing” to exploit people.

Fast forward, QNET officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on Tuesday, July 15, during a press conference in Accra. The MoU aims to combat fraud, human trafficking, and brand impersonation and includes joint efforts in public education, intelligence sharing, and enforcement support.