The Ghana Police Service has successfully rescued seventy-six Ghanaian nationals who were trafficked to Nigeria under a fraudulent recruitment scheme connected to the operations of QNET. The rescue efforts, a collaborative initiative with Interpol and Nigerian law enforcement agencies, took place between May 19 and June 27, 2025.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), announced the development at a press briefing held in Accra on Monday, June 30, 2025. DCOP Donkor revealed that the victims were enticed with deceptive promises of lucrative football contracts, overseas job placements, or assistance with visa processing.
“These victims are lured to pay huge sums of money under the pretext of being recruited into football academics for training and placement into top teams abroad, to be employed in lucrative jobs, or as part of processes to travel to Europe of Canada for work.” She stated. “Victims are typically instructed to travel, usually by road, to an unfamiliar country. Ghanaians are sent to foreign countries, while foreigners are brought to Ghana . Upon arrival, a syndicate fee ranging from 800,000 to 2,000,000 CFA for Francophone victims, or USD 1,000 and above for Ghanaians.”
She explained that thirty victims were initially rescued in Akwa Ibom State on May 19, followed by an additional fifteen in Oyo on June 22. In total, seventy-six Ghanaians have been safely recovered. Seven Ghanaian suspects implicated in the trafficking network were apprehended in Nigeria and remain in custody.
Addressing the media, the DCOP highlighted that majority of the victims were young men who had been held in severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Upon their arrival in Nigeria, their mobile phones and travel documents were confiscated, and they were subjected to strict surveillance. Police investigations indicate that the victims were coerced into contacting their families in Ghana to solicit money under the guise of paying for training or facilitation fees.
DCOP Donkor issued a stern warning, stating that individuals involved in recruiting, transporting, or harboring persons under such fraudulent operations would face prosecution under Ghana’s Anti-Human Trafficking Act (Act 694) and the Criminal Code (Act 29). She emphasized the profound psychological and economic harm caused to these victims and their families and urged Ghanaians to exercise extreme caution regarding offers of overseas jobs or training that demand upfront payments or involve undocumented arrangements.
She assured that efforts are currently underway to repatriate the rescued individuals and facilitate their reunion with their families in Ghana. The CID further disclosed that other suspects linked to the same trafficking ring, who were arrested in Ghana, are presently before the courts.
QNET, a network marketing firm at the center of this recruitment scam, had its operations in Ghana dissolved by an Accra High Court in July 2022. This dissolution followed a petition by the then Attorney-General, who accused the company of engaging in illegal and deceptive practices akin to a Ponzi scheme.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
