Forty-four (44) Ghanaians who fell victim to QNET and were lured to Nigeria, a widely reported scam scheme, have been repatriated, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The forty-four include twenty-seven (27) men and seventeen (17) women.

They were bused to Ghana on March 20 after being rescued from suspected human trafficking camps in Akwa Ibom, a coastal state in southern Nigeria.

Most of the victims are reported to have travelled out of Ghana in December last year in search of better opportunities but were intercepted during an operation by the Nigerian police before their repatriation.

Rescue operations: Victims express mixed reactions, recount ordeal in Nigeria

One of the victims, recounting how she was treated in Nigeria after being lured barely a month ago, said they were apprehended during a late-night operation. She lamented the approach adopted by the police during the rescue.

According to her, “The police officers were dressed in black and were wearing masks as though it was a kidnapping. Some of us were beaten as we tried to resist, fearing that we were being kidnapped. I was traumatised.”

Another victim added that following their rescue, they spent four days in a private facility before being brought back to Ghana.

Recruitment style

On how they were recruited, one victim said she was promised assistance to secure a job in South Africa and paid GH¢16,000 as a service charge, while another said he paid GH¢10,000 for similar arrangements.

One female victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had been promised travel to South Africa but was instead engaged in selling products on commission upon arrival in Nigeria.

“I left Ghana in December last year, and I was told I would be sent to South Africa to work. However, upon arriving in Nigeria, I was given some health products to sell on a commission basis. Although I sold some, I couldn’t meet the target to earn any commission,” she said.

Acknowledging that they were fed twice a day, she indicated that their living conditions were far from satisfactory and expressed regret over the decision, including the loss of GH¢16,000 given to her by her father.

Consequently, she called on the Ghanaian government to intensify efforts to create jobs for the youth to discourage risky migration in search of opportunities abroad.

In a related development, three hundred and twenty (320) individuals were arrested by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) Kumasi in its fight against organised crime.

The raid, carried out on Thursday, November 6, 2025, was announced by EOCO as a breakthrough in its ongoing operation against human trafficking and economic crimes linked to the QNET fraud scheme.

Of that number, 25 were treated as suspected members of the fraud and trafficking network, while the remaining 295 were believed to be victims who had been lured into QNET-related employment and human trafficking schemes.

The operation was larger than the Kasoa raid two weeks earlier, which had resulted in more than 26 arrests.

EOCO said the raid was not random but the result of months of careful investigations, demonstrating its commitment to tracking down and prosecuting individuals involved in economic and organised crime.

The 25 people believed to be behind the scheme were being questioned and were expected to face further investigations, with the aim of prosecuting them and securing convictions under Ghana’s laws.

The agency also said it was working with QNET to "clamp down on the misuse of their brand name to traffic and defraud innocent individuals."

EOCO assured the public that it would continue to fight financial and organised crime and encouraged people to report suspicious activities.

The QNET scheme was known for luring individuals with promises of large profits or well-paid jobs abroad, but many ended up being deceived, trapped in debt, or forced to recruit others.

This was why the operation was considered both a fraud and a human trafficking scheme disguised as a business opportunity.

EOCO’s action targeted local actors exploiting the model.

Also, EOCO, in a joint operation on Friday, October 17, busted a human trafficking syndicate operated mainly by Ghanaians and Ivorians.

In a statement shared the same day, the crime intelligence agency announced that following the raid, it had successfully rescued 26 victims of human trafficking, comprising sixteen (16) Ghanaians and ten (10) Ivorians.

These nationals had fallen victim to job opportunity scams run by individuals posing as recruitment agents for QNET, a multinational company known for its wellness and lifestyle products.

The operation, dubbed “Operation Quest,” was conducted by EOCO’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in collaboration with QNET, around 10:30 a.m.

“The operation, code-named Operation Quest, followed intelligence that some foreigners and Ghanaians had been trafficked under the guise of employment with the QNET Company — a reputable organisation that trades in wellness and lifestyle products.

The suspects include two (2) Ivorians and seven (7) Ghanaians, while the victims were made up of ten (10) Ivorians and sixteen (16) Ghanaians,” the statement noted.

The organisation clarified that these individuals had no legitimate ties to the company and were exploiting QNET’s reputation to carry out their illicit activities.

“All nine (9) suspects are currently in the custody of EOCO to assist in investigations,” parts of the statement added.

EOCO cautioned the public against falling for such scams and advised that all reports of employment offers purportedly from QNET be directed to the appropriate authorities. It also reminded the public that the company is working to restore its reputation, which has suffered due to impersonation by groups and agencies using its name for fraudulent recruitment schemes.