Date: 5th July, 2025
PRESS RELEASE*
ONDO POLICE RESCUE TRAFFICKED GHANAIAN NATIONALS, BUST HUMAN TRAFFICKING SYNDICATE IN AKURE
The Ondo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that operatives of the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad (TIRS), Akure, have successfully rescued one David Angerinya, a Ghanaian national who was allegedly trafficked into Nigeria under false pretenses.
The operation followed a formal petition forwarded through the Interpol Liaison Office, Force Headquarters Abuja, requesting urgent police intervention over a case of transnational human trafficking involving a Ghanaian citizen allegedly lured to Nigeria in 2024 with the promise of employment by an unidentified associate.
Acting swiftly on the report, detectives from the Tactical Intelligence Response Squad, led by DSP Lekan Alabi, commenced a targeted investigation and subsequently apprehended three principal suspects identified as:
• Hayford Nyamekye
• Awine Alex
• Kojo Felix
The victim, David Angerinya, was successfully rescued during the operation.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are part of a larger transnational trafficking syndicate that specializes in deceiving unsuspecting individuals, particularly from neighboring West African countries, into travelling to Nigeria with false assurances of lucrative job opportunities and visa arrangements to Canada and other Western nations.
Alarmingly, an additional thirty-nine (39) Ghanaian nationals were discovered to have fallen victim to this same network. Many of them were found without valid travel documents, while those who had any presented expired ones.
All arrested suspects are currently in police custody and are cooperating with ongoing investigations. Furthermore, efforts are ongoing to apprehend the owners and caretakers of the buildings where the victims were harbored, as they may have had knowledge of or directly facilitated the illegal activities of the syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, psc+, mnips, has reiterated the unwavering commitment of the Ondo State Police Command to combating human trafficking and all forms of transnational organized crime. He urges members of the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency contact lines.
For any inquiries, please contact:
0906 058 8958
E- Signed
DSP AYANLADE OLAYINKA OLUSHOLA
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO)
Ondo State Police Command
For: – Commissioner of Police, Ondo State.
