Thirty-three Ghanaians, including 12 women, have been rounded up at a camp in Anyigba, in the Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. They were reportedly lured into a scheme promising travel to the United Kingdom. The Ghanaians were staying at one of six camps identified in the Anyigba area at the time of the operation.
Some of those found at the camp claimed they had paid as much as GH₵300,000 in the hope of eventually making it to Britain. Some individuals reportedly sold off their businesses to raise the money. The development was reported by GHOne TV journalist Peter Quao Adattor and carried by Pulse Ghana.
The group was intercepted after a special team from Ghana moved in following concerns raised by relatives back home. The relatives said some of those who had travelled to Nigeria were being repeatedly asked to send additional funds. This pattern of escalating demands for money prompted worried family members to alert authorities, leading to the raid on the camp.
Despite the circumstances of the raid, those rounded up have denied that they were preparing for illegal migration. Instead, some members of the group claimed they had travelled to Nigeria to take part in network marketing activities rather than to arrange onward travel to Europe.
The case adds to a string of incidents this year in which Ghanaians have reportedly been drawn into arrangements abroad on the promise of onward travel to Europe, only to find themselves stranded or in difficult conditions. This is not an isolated incident, as several cases have been reported in which Ghanaians travelling through Nigeria on the strength of promised European routes have ended up trapped or unable to proceed.
The sums reportedly involved — up to GH₵300,000 per person — represent life savings or business capital for many Ghanaians. This underlines the financial devastation such schemes can cause even before any question of actual travel or trafficking arises. Families of those affected are often left both financially ruined and uncertain of their relatives' safety abroad.
The sources do not specify what will happen to the 33 Ghanaians now that they have been rounded up, nor whether any arrests or charges are being considered in Nigeria or Ghana. The investigation into the camp and the alleged scheme is ongoing, according to Pulse Ghana, but no timeline for its conclusion has been given.
Key points
- The Ghanaians were reportedly lured into a scheme promising travel to the UK with some paying up to GH₵300,000.
- The group was intercepted after relatives back home raised concerns about escalating demands for money.
- The case adds to a string of incidents this year in which Ghanaians have been drawn into similar arrangements abroad.
