At least three Burkinabes suspected to be engaging in human trafficking are in Police custody in Koforidua while 20 victim’s mostly West African nationals including young women have been rescued in a spontaneous operation Saturday, January 9, 2020.
The suspects and their victims were rounded up at Trom -Junction 27 a suburb of New Juaben South Municipality.
Mybrytfmonline.com has gathered that the ringleaders from Burkinafaso rented two-bedroom apartments at Trom community which they used the internet to recruit their victims mostly from Burkinafaso and Mali under the guise of securing them well-paid jobs in Ghana.
However, upon arrival of their victims mostly at midnight ostensibly preventing them to know the location, they detain, extort monies from them, seize their traveling documents, mobile phones, abuse and exploit them.
One of the male victims who recently got trapped by the modus operandi of the suspects, however, managed to escape a few days ago by scaling over a wall around the house.
He picked a taxi and located a mosque in Koforidua township where after participating in the prayer, narrated his ordeal to the Muslim leadership through a French interpreter.
Subsequently, some youth from Koforidua Zongo numbering about 25 wielding cutlasses, sticks and other dangerous implements led by the escapee victim trailed and stormed the house where the suspects had detained their victims at about 3:30am.
Wahab Amadu, a resident of Trom said the suspects upon seeing the mob locked up the rooms and pulled cutlasses threatening to kill anyone who attempted to enter. The mob however broke into the room.
He said after hours of clashes, police arrived at the scene around 9:30pm, arrested the suspects and their victims into a waiting commercial vehicle.
A white marker board that had French inscriptions was seen in the two-bedroom apartment where the suspects and the victims lodged.
About 30 mobile phones, Burkinabe Military and police uniforms, documents, ID cards, laptops, cameras, among others were retrieved from the suspects.
Wahab Amadu said residents in Trom and its environs feel insecure therefore appealing to the Police to intensify patrols since the entire area has no Police station.
The Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command Sargeant Francis Gomado has meanwhile said, the command will speak to the media on the arrest of the suspects and matters arising.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
