37 young Ghanaians have been rescued from suspected cross-boarder human trafficking syndicate operating within Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital.
The rescue followed credible intelligence received by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ekiti State Command.
Operatives commenced discreet intelligence gathering and surveillance on the activities of the suspected syndicate over a period of three (3) weeks.
Based on the Intelligence gathered, a coordinated operation in the early hours of Tuesday, 10th February, 2026, was carried out and the operation led to the arrest of thirty-seven (37) victims at various locations in Ado-Ekiti. All the victims are Ghana nationals.
Preliminary investigations revealed that several of them were allegedly defrauded.
The sum of $1,000 – $2,000 were paid before they were trafficked into the country under the guise of securing travel visas to Australia and other countries.
Addressing newsmen at the command headquarters, the state Commandant, Mr Toma Matthew Enya, reiterated his zero tolerance stance on all forms of crime and criminalities and enjoined the public to continue to share credible and actionable intelligence that can lead to the arrest of criminals in the state.
“We have the mandate of all Nigerians to prevent crimes and safeguard our communities at a very critical time in our nation’s history”. the Commandant stressed.
The rescued victims were subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons. (NAPTIP) for profiling, while investigation continues to track other members of the syndicate still at large.
