A Circuit Court in Tema, Ghana, has sentenced two Nigerian nationals to 20 years’ imprisonment each after convicting them of human trafficking and causing harm in a case involving the exploitation of 11 fellow Nigerians.

The Ghana Police Service, in a statement issued by the Tema Regional Police Command on Wednesday, identified the convicts as Kingsley Ndifon, 29, and Emmanuel Akong, 25.

According to the police, the suspects were arrested on August 20, 2023, at Sebrepor, a suburb of Tema, following a distress call reporting that several people were being held against their will in a residential building.

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Police officers, assisted by residents, stormed the location and rescued 11 Nigerian nationals who were allegedly being confined by the suspects.

During a search of the premises, officers recovered 16 laptop computers and one iPad from rooms occupied by the convicts.

Investigations revealed that the victims had been lured from Nigeria to Ghana with promises of employment. However, upon arrival, they were allegedly forced into cyber-related criminal activities and confined to the house.

The police further stated that the suspects confiscated the victims’ mobile phones and identification documents and compelled them to engage in internet fraud using laptops provided to them.

Authorities also disclosed that the victims were fed only once daily and subjected to severe physical abuse whenever they failed to comply with instructions. They were allegedly beaten with laptop cables and machetes, leaving some with cutlass wounds, while many were found to be malnourished and in poor health.

Following investigations, the suspects were arraigned before Circuit Court ‘B’ in Tema on charges bordering on conspiracy, human trafficking and causing harm.

At the conclusion of the trial, the court found both men guilty and sentenced each of them to 20 years’ imprisonment for human trafficking and 10 years for causing harm, with the sentences to run concurrently.

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