Ghana repatriates 105 human trafficking victims after rescue operation
via GhanaWeb1 min read
Ghana's Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, has issued a warning to foreign nationals in Ghana to adhere to the country鈥檚 immigration and criminal laws. This follows the repatriation of 105 foreign nationals who were rescued from suspected human trafficking operations in Asankragwa, Western North Region. The intelligence-led operation, conducted by the Ghana Immigration Service GIS on May 20, 2026, targeted premises believed to be housing victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Initially, 112 females, aged between 12 and 38, were rescued. The group included 110 Nigerians, one Beninese, and one Cameroonian, with some victims reportedly as young as 12. The operation was led by the Asankragwa Sector Command under Assistant Commissioner of Immigration Kwabena Adjei. The rescued individuals were moved to a holding center in the Greater Accra Region for further investigation by the GIS Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons AHSTIP Unit. Investigations confirmed 105 individuals were human trafficking victims, while seven suspects remain under investigation for potential prosecution. The GIS, in collaboration with relevant embassies and community representatives, facilitated the safe return of the confirmed victims to their home countries. Amadu reiterated the Service鈥檚 dedication to fighting human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and other transnational crimes, urging foreign nationals to comply with Ghanaian laws.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by GhanaWeb.
A rare photograph showing former Head of State General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and Major General Edward Kwaku Utuka moments before their execution has resurfaced. The image, shared by Adeyinka Makinde, depicts the two military officers hooded and tied to execution stakes at the Teshie Military Shooting Range in Accra, awaiting a firing squad. Acheampong and Utuka were executed on June 16, 1979, after being sentenced to death by decree of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council AFRC. The AFRC had seized power 12 days prior through an uprising led by junior officers and soldiers in the Ghana Armed Forces. General Acheampong, born in 1931, joined the British colonial army in 1951 and was commissioned into the Ghana Army in 1959. He served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Congo and became Chairman of the Western Regional Committee of Administration after the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah's government. Acheampong led the January 13, 1972 coup that removed Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia's government, establishing the National Redemption Council NRC, which suspended the 1969 Constitution and banned political activities. His rule ended in 1979 when the AFRC overthrew the Supreme Military Council government, leading to his trial and execution alongside Major General Utuka. The resurfaced photograph is noted as one of the few known images documenting their final moments.
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