Security agencies in Ghana have rescued 21 victims of human trafficking who were being held in Nigeria and forced into fraudulent online schemes, following a large-scale INTERPOL-led border security operation across West Africa.

The intervention formed part of Operation Screen West Africa 2025, a coordinated effort involving 12 countries between July and October aimed at dismantling criminal networks, intercepting traffickers, and identifying individuals linked to terrorism.

INTERPOL Executive Director for Police Services (pro tempore), Cyril Gout, said the cross-border collaboration played a crucial role in exposing complex criminal operations affecting Ghana and other West African nations.

“Our specialist tools help make the links that identify suspected terrorists and disrupt their attempts to create fear and endanger communities,” he noted, emphasising the operation’s impact on human trafficking and organised crime.

Ghanaian officers, working with INTERPOL systems at various border points, contributed to the 1.7 million real-time database checks carried out across the sub-region — a significant rise from 1.3 million checks recorded in 2024.

Beyond the rescue of Ghanaian and other victims, the broader regional effort led to 62 arrests, including nine suspects with links to terrorism, and nearly 250 hits on INTERPOL’s global databases.

Among the operation’s top breakthroughs, security officials in Burkina Faso arrested two individuals wanted by Côte d’Ivoire for their alleged involvement in JNIM-backed terrorist attacks in 2020 that claimed more than ten lives.

Both suspects were the subjects of INTERPOL Blue Notices, which help member states trace individuals connected to ongoing investigations.

Authorities also made arrests linked to an earlier INTERPOL facial recognition operation, and conducted major crackdowns at harbours and in territorial waters, where vessels using deceptive shipping practices — including identity tampering and “dark operations” — were flagged.

Across the region, officers seized:

• 17 caches of weapons and ammunition
• Explosives, including detonators and dynamite
• 136 stolen vehicles
• 731 kg of cannabis
• Counterfeit currency
• Fake opioid pain relief tablets
• Fraudulent identity and travel documents

Investigators say the proceeds from many of these illicit items often fund terrorism and organised crime.

INTERPOL says further intelligence gathered during the operation will be shared with participating countries, including Ghana, as follow-up investigations continue.