The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Lydia Donkor, has issued a strong call to landlords, caretakers, and tenants across the country to pay closer attention to the use of their properties and the people occupying them.
Her appeal follows disturbing revelations about how residential spaces are being exploited by trafficking syndicates operating under the guise of QNET activities.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, DCOP Donkor emphasized that many unsuspecting victims—mostly youth from Ghana and neighboring countries—are being lured, confined, and exploited in rented rooms, which often serve as holding camps under appalling conditions.
“I urge landlords and tenants to be interested in what their rented spaces are being used for and the people occupying them,” she said.
“These properties, in many cases, are converted into holding camps where victims are stripped of their freedom and subjected to manipulation and abuse.”
Between May 19 and June 27, 2025, the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with Nigerian authorities, rescued 76 Ghanaian victims of a QNET trafficking scheme and arrested seven suspects across various Nigerian states.
Among the notable operations was a rescue of 30 victims in Agbara, Ogun State, and 15 others in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Additionally, in operations conducted between May 6 and May 22, 2025, the Police rescued 48 foreign nationals in Ghana—including citizens of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Guinea—who had been trafficked under false pretenses. Two suspects from Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso were arrested and are assisting with investigations.
“These victims are lured with promises of football opportunities, overseas jobs, or educational scholarships. Once trafficked, they are held in overcrowded rooms—sometimes up to 40 people—with no access to phones or travel documents,” DCOP Donkor explained.
She disclosed that the scammers often impersonate the victims using their confiscated phones to contact family and friends for money under false pretenses.
“Some victims are so psychologically distressed or ashamed that they become unwilling to return home,” she noted.
DCOP Donkor also referenced a 2022 Commercial Court ruling in Accra, which ordered the dissolution of QNET operations in Ghana for engaging in fraudulent and illegal activities.
She emphasized that QNET and similar networks have been banned in several countries in the sub-region due to their exploitative nature and deceptive recruitment methods.
“Let us all play a part—if you’re a landlord, know who you’re renting to. If you’re a tenant, pay attention to what’s happening next door,” she urged.
The CID chief cautioned that deception, restriction of movement, and coercion of individuals fall under the offenses outlined in Ghana’s Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694) and the Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Anyone found aiding or abetting such schemes—whether locally or abroad—will face prosecution.
DCOP Donkor concluded by acknowledging the efforts of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, INTERPOL (NCB Accra), and their regional counterparts.
“Our commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals remains unwavering. But we need the support and vigilance of every Ghanaian,” she said.
The Ghana Police Service encourages members of the public to report suspicious recruitment schemes or activities involving QNET and its affiliates, and to always verify before embarking on any travel or employment offer outside Ghana.
