The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has arrested 93 Nigerian nationals on suspicion of internet fraud and immigration offences, following a raid on a suspected cybercrime operation at Devtraco Estate in Accra.
GIS spokesperson Maud Anima Quainoo confirmed in a statement on Monday that the intelligence-led operation netted 91 men and two women. Significantly, authorities also rescued 73 individuals who were allegedly subjected to abuse and torture by the suspects. The victims have since been returned to Nigeria.
Items recovered from the premises pointed to a well-organised criminal setup. Investigators seized 82 laptops, 57 mobile phones, 17 television sets, counterfeit US dollar notes, and fake gold bars, along with various household appliances believed to have supported the fraud operation.
Preliminary findings suggest that some of the suspects entered Ghana through unofficial border crossings, while others are alleged to have overstayed the 90-day visa-free window available to citizens of ECOWAS member states. The GIS said investigations are ongoing at its headquarters to determine the full reach of the network, and called on all foreign nationals in the country to abide by Ghanaian immigration and criminal laws.
Monday’s arrests are the latest in a pattern of similar crackdowns. In January, the Ghana Police Service arrested 53 Nigerians on cybercrime-related suspicions and rescued 44 alleged forced labour victims. Separate operations last December led to the arrest of around 78 Nigerians with alleged links to cybercrime.
The frequency of such operations has intensified scrutiny on the scale of cross-border criminal networks using Ghana as a base, and has raised broader questions about the effectiveness of border management across the ECOWAS region.
