The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has rescued 85 suspected victims of human trafficking and forced labour while arresting 17 suspected members of a cyber fraud syndicate during an intelligence-led operation at Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region.
According to a statement issued by Deputy Commissioner of Immigration in charge of Public Affairs, Maud Anima Quainoo, officers from the GIS National Enforcement Team carried out a raid in the early hours of Sunday, 26 July 2026, at a property located opposite the China West Mall in Dawhenya.
The premises are reportedly owned by Oga Toyas, Chief Executive Officer of TOYAS Group Limited.
The operation was launched following intelligence received from residents who reported suspected criminal activities at the location.
A team led by Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI) Atubga Elijah secured the premises and intercepted 102 West African nationals.
Preliminary investigations revealed that 85 of those intercepted—79 males and six females—were victims of human trafficking and forced labour.
The remaining 17 individuals are believed to be members of the suspected cyber fraud syndicate and are also alleged to have been residing in Ghana illegally.
GIS officers reported that many of the victims, particularly the males, showed signs of severe physical abuse and had allegedly been subjected to inhumane treatment while being held in poor living conditions.
The six female victims and the 17 suspects, making a total of 23 people, are currently being held at the GIS Headquarters in Accra for further interrogation and profiling.
Meanwhile, the 79 male victims have been transferred to a secure GIS holding facility as the Service collaborates with relevant state institutions to facilitate their safe return to their respective home countries.
The principal suspects believed to be behind the operation were not present during the raid.
The Ghana Immigration Service says investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend the alleged masterminds.
The operation was conducted under the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), which criminalises the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons through force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of exploitation.
The Act prescribes a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years upon conviction.
In a separate operation, the Ashaiman Sector Command of the Ghana Immigration Service conducted a compliance exercise in the Tsina–Agbe area on Monday, 27 July 2026, following requests from the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly and the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC).
During the exercise, immigration officers detained 93 Nigerian women between the ages of 15 and 44 on suspicion of being trafficked into Ghana for commercial sexual exploitation.
The women have since been transferred to a secure GIS facility while arrangements are made for their repatriation to Nigeria.
The Ghana Immigration Service reaffirmed its commitment to securing the country’s borders, combating irregular migration, dismantling transnational criminal networks, and protecting victims of human trafficking through sustained intelligence-led enforcement operations.
