OVER 500 GHANAIANS SCAMMED AND TRAFFICKED TO COTE D’IVOIRE, OTHER WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES – Ablakwa
The Ghanaian government is partnering with Ivorian immigration officials to free and return more than 200 Ghanaians who are confined in remote locations in Côte d’Ivoire.
At present, more than 500 Ghanaians are being held captive in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, and Togo after falling victim to fraudsters using the QNET name, supposedly asserting a connection to it.
The suspects enticed the victims to Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and various West African nations, deceiving them with claims of handling their visas and travel documents in those countries, which served as stops to reach their ultimate destinations in France, Canada, Belgium, and Qatar.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Foreign Affairs Minister, announced this in Parliament on Wednesday while replying to an urgent inquiry from Mr. Kwaku Buah, the Pru East Member of Parliament, regarding the government’s actions to rescue and return Ghanaians trafficked to Cote d’Ivoire by individuals deceitfully using the name of QNET.
The minister stated that, up to now, the government had effectively rescued and returned 400 Ghanaians who were trafficked to Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Benin, and Togo from 2021 until now.
He mentioned that, at present, more than 500 Ghanaians aged 20 to 40 were being held captive in Cote d’Ivoire and 202 in Nigeria.
The Minister stated that the victims paid amounts ranging from GH¢18,000 to GH¢35,000 and GH¢30,000 to GH¢40,000 to the QNET scammers, who promised to process their travel documents in the West African nation and use Cote d’Ivoire as a transit point to Europe, North America, and Asian countries.
Mr. Ablakwa also mentioned that Ghana’s embassies in those nations were working together with immigration officials and Interpol to assist in rescuing the victims and capturing the scammers.
“The Ghanaian embassies and diplomatic missions in those countries are providing consular services to the victims,” Mr Ablakwa stated.
The minister announced that starting September this year, the Ministry, together with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), would hold awareness events nationwide to inform the public about scammers exploiting the QNET name for fraudulent purposes.
The minister stated that, as of now, no arrests have been made in connection to the scammers engaged in the fraudulent scheme and encouraged the public to reach out to the Ministry with important information that might assist in the arrests.
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