Two nabbed over sex trade

Story: Albert K. Salia
A collaboration between a Ghanaian journalist and the Ghana Police Service has led to the arrest of two Ghanaians alleged to be trafficking women to Europe for prostitution.
Amandi Mohammed, 30, and Kwadwo Boamah Addai, 50, were arrested on October 24 and 25, 2007, respectively, from their respective operational areas at Abossey Okai and Gbawe.
A third suspect, Mumuni Abdul Latif, alias Tijani, based at Kasoa in the Central Region, is on the run.
Amandi is said to be the employee of Tijani and his duty is to cater for the needs of the girls, while Tijani supervised the operations.
The police also rescued nine Nigerian girls who were being “supervised” by Amandi at Abossey Okai, while eight others were also rescued from the grips of Addai at Gbawe.
Those rescued at Abossey Okai were Gloria Ebrain, Cynthia Emma, Joyce Samuel, Jennifer Peter, Gifty Ebrain, Lovet Issako, Lucy Ugo, Emmanuel Beauty and Nancy Johnson.
Those rescued at Gbawe included Hope Osagie, Princess Ebabulele, Bola Ayodele, Rosemary Yenni, Vivian Joseph, Becky Asoro, Happy Tom and Blessing Samuel.
The women, who have been in Ghana for periods between one and three months, are aged between 18 and 25.
Briefing newsmen in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ken Yeboah, said Mr Anas Arimeyao of the Crusading Guide newspaper reported to the police on October 19, 2007 that some Ghanaians residing at Abossey Okai and Gbawe were engaged in human trafficking.
He said Mr Arimeyao indicated that the women had been brought into Ghana from neighbouring countries, mostly Nigeria, and thereafter sent to Europe.
According to the deputy CID boss, the police proceeded to Abossey Okai on October 24, 2007, where Amandi was arrested and nine Nigerian women rescued.
ACP Yeboah said the police went to Addai’s residence at Gbawe at about 4:30 a.m. on October 25, 2007 where he was arrested and eight women rescued.
He said a search conducted in Addai’s office and residence resulted in the retrieval of seven Ghanaian passports, four vaccination certificates, one international driving licence, 59 birth certificates, two Motorola mobile phones, three bank statements from Unibank, an invitation letter and a Beninois passport bearing the name Affo Kaffi Seibu.
ACP Yeboah said on interrogation, Addai allegedly admitted that his wife was based in Italy and that relatives of the girls who were based in Italy had requested him to assist the girls to join them.
Sadly, the deputy CID boss said, the girls were not trying to co-operate with the police, as the police suspected that the names given were fake.
That, he said, had also been confirmed by Addai, who claimed that he did not know them by the names they had mentioned to the police.
ACP Yeboah said the women also indicated that they were in the country to engage in hairdressing.
He said he had directed that a file be opened for each of the victims for purposes of keeping their profiles, pictures and fingerprints while further investigations continued.
The acting Director of Police Public Affairs, DSP Kwesi Ofori, said the victims were often made to swear oaths not to reveal their real identities.
He commended the journalist who collaborated with the police to apprehend the perpetrators.
He said the Police Administration was determined to flush out the syndicate dealing in human trafficking in the country.
Accordingly, he said, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr P.K. Acheampong, had directed that a Human Trafficking Unit be established in the CID to confront the problem head-on.
He said that had been necessitated by recent cases of human trafficking both within the country and outside.