Ghana Police Arrest 12 Nigerian Nationals Over Suspected Sex Ring
A complaint of assault over an unmet 400-cedi daily quota has led to the dismantling of a suspected trafficking and prostitution operation in Ghana’s Eastern Region, resulting in the arrest of 12 Nigerian nationals and three Ghanaians, police in Koforidua have confirmed.
Operatives of the New Juaben South Municipal Police Command on Monday, February 10, 2026, arrested 13 alleged commercial sex workers12 Nigerians and one Ghanaian—along with a landlord accused of converting his property into a brothel and a bouncer linked to the operation. The arrests followed a complaint filed four days earlier by a 30-year-old Nigerian woman, Stella Godwill, who told authorities she had been trafficked from Nigeria to Ghana for prostitution.
According to the Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Ransford Nsiah, the complainant alleged that she was required to meet a daily earnings target of 400 Ghana cedis for a woman identified as Christabel Simon Monday, whom she accused of trafficking her. On the day of the incident, Godwill reportedly raised only 250 cedis and claimed Monday, alongside Monday’s boyfriend, Simon Kwarteng, assaulted her for falling short of the quota.
“Last Sunday, we received a complaint from another Nigerian lady that she had been assaulted by her mistress, whom we normally call a ‘queen mother,'” Superintendent Nsiah told journalists. “The assault happened because she could not meet the daily target of GH¢400 set by the queen mother.”
Acting on the complaint, detectives launched an investigation and proceeded to Dabiasem, a suburb of New Juaben, where Monday was taken into custody. Further enquiries led officers to a suspected brothel in the same vicinity, resulting in the apprehension of 12 additional suspects. Police said condoms were recovered during the operation.
The raid also netted a man who had allegedly converted his residential property into a commercial sex facility. “We also arrested another man who had constructed a house and turned it into a brothel where the women are staying. He collects GH¢25 per day from them,” Superintendent Nsiah said.
Authorities confirmed that about 15 suspects, aged between 15 and 32, are currently in police custody and will be put before the court following the conclusion of investigations. The minor among those arrested has been separated from adult detainees, and arrangements are being made with the Department of Social Welfare for her protection and rehabilitation.
The case has drawn attention to the persistent transnational trafficking networks operating between Nigeria and Ghana, often preying on young women with promises of legitimate employment. Previous probes in the Eastern Region uncovered syndicates that allegedly lured girls from Nigeria with offers of hospitality jobs before forcing them into commercial sex work. Monday’s alleged role as a “queen mother”—a term used within some trafficking rings to describe women who supervise and control sex workers—fits a pattern documented by Ghanaian authorities and anti-trafficking organisations over the past decade.
Ghana serves as both a destination and transit country for human trafficking, according to the United States Department of State’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, which noted that Nigerian women and children are among the most frequently identified trafficking victims in the country. The report observed that while Ghana has made significant strides in prosecution and victim protection, enforcement outside major urban centres remains inconsistent, and traffickers continue to exploit porous land borders.
Superintendent Nsiah confirmed that the suspects have violated multiple provisions of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960. Sections 273 and 274 criminalise prostitution and related activities, while Section 277 specifically addresses the operation of brothels, prescribing penalties including fines or imprisonment upon conviction. Assistant Superintendent of Police Augustine Kusi Asante, the Municipal Crime Officer, issued a warning to landlords against renting premises for unlawful purposes.
“We also arrested another man who had constructed a house and turned it into a brothel where the women are staying,” Superintendent Nsiah reiterated, emphasising that property owners found to be enabling commercial sex operations face prosecution under the Act.
Police expressed concern over the involvement of minors in commercial sex activities and appealed to the public to volunteer information that could assist in dismantling trafficking networks and protecting vulnerable persons. Authorities said investigations remain ongoing as part of broader efforts to curb trafficking and exploitation in the Eastern Region.
The suspects are expected to be arraigned before a Koforidua magistrate court once police complete their enquiries. It remains unclear whether the Nigerian nationals will face immigration proceedings alongside criminal charges, or whether diplomatic notifications have been made to Nigerian consular authorities in Ghana.