12 held in joint police, Immigration Service operation

A joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Immigration Service has led to the arrest of 12 suspects believed to be linked to cybercrime and human trafficking activities.

Security officials say six other Nigerian nationals connected to the case are still being sought over suspected immigration-related offences.

According to a police brief issued on Saturday, the arrests were made on 12 March 2026 during an intelligence-led exercise involving the IGP’s Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team, the Surveillance Unit of the CID Headquarters, and the Ghana Immigration Service.

The operation was led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Malaika Jibril Alhassan from Police Headquarters and Superintendent Francis Baidoo of the GIS Amasaman Sector Command.

Investigators say the suspects are believed to have operated within an organised network engaged in both cyber fraud and human trafficking-related crimes.

During the raid, officers recovered 25 laptops and seven mobile phones, which are expected to form part of the ongoing investigation.

Police said the operation was briefly disrupted when the suspects allegedly tried to resist arrest by setting German Shepherd dogs on the officers.

Additional personnel from the Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team and the CID Surveillance Unit were then deployed, allowing the exercise to continue.

Preliminary findings, according to the brief, point to a range of suspected offences. These include online scams, identity theft, phishing and email fraud, mobile money fraud, cyber extortion, blackmail, credit card and ATM fraud, and electronic forgery.

Authorities say the case highlights what they describe as a growing connection between cybercrime networks and cross-border migration-related criminal activity.