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At least Thirty-One persons suspected to be engaging in commercial sex work and human trafficking have been busted within the Ellembelle District and Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region.
The suspects were arrested through an operation conducted by the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), through its Axim Sector Command.
The suspects, according to a statement, were operating around a notorious brothel under the guise of BAFANA BAFANA Beach Resort, in the area.
The two-day intelligence-led operation began with a swoop on the said brothel and some adjourning drinking bars and makeshift structures within the Essiama enclave, resulting in the arrest of the suspects aged between 22 years and 37 years.
Detailing the exercise, it said the exercise first led to the arrest of 17 suspects/victims, including the owner and manager of the facility, Mr. Kofi Bekoe, 62 years.
The statement issued by the Command said subsequently 12 suspects in addition to the two suspected human trafficking collaborators were picked up in two separate mop-up operations later on Saturday evening and in the early hours of Sunday.
“In all, the over thirty hours (30hrs) of sustained operation saw to the arrest of twenty-eight (28) suspected prostitutes, including two (2) nursing mothers.
“The other suspects were the two (2) suspected Traffickers, Mr Ndubueze Okereke, 37yrs and his wife, Ifeoma Okereke, 35yrs, all Nigerians with the exception of Mr Kofo Bekoe, who is a Ghanaian and the host of a suspected trafficking syndicate.
“This particular operation was planned and successfully carried out with the support from the authorities of the above-mentioned assemblies, owing to the growing concerns of the nefarious activities, especially by some of the foreign nationals within the said communities, and the impunity with which the brothel operated,” the GIS stated.
The statement added, “The Service is by this statement averting the minds of Landlords and property owners across the country to be mindful of the existence of the above-stated laws and their consequences by checking and confirming the immigration status of all would-be foreign tenants before renting out their properties to them.”
The suspects are currently in police custody of the Western Regional Command headquarters for further investigations, prosecution and subsequent repatriation to their country.
Read the full statement below:
