The Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), through its Axim Sector Command, has rounded up a total of thirty-one (31) ECOWAS nationals including a syndicate suspected to be engaging in prostitution and human trafficking.
The suspected activities are carried out within and around a notorious brothel, under the guise of Bafana Bafana Beach Resort in Ellembele and Nzema East Municipalities of Western Region.
The two-day intelligence-led operations from Saturday, 14th- to Sunday, 15th October, 2023 begun in earnest at 0230hrs with a swoop in on the said brothel facility and some adjourning drinking bars and makeshift structures within the Essiama enclave.
The operations resulted in the arrest of the suspects aged between twenty-two (22 years) and thirty-seven (37 years) years.
The operation, which lasted several hours, led to the arrest of seventeen (17) suspects and victims, including the owner and manager of the facility, Mr. Kofi Bekoe, 62 years old at the first instance.
Subsequently, the other twelve (12) in addition to two (2) suspected human trafficking collaborators were picked up in two separate mop-up operations later on Saturday evening and early Sunday morning.
In all, the over thirty hours (30hrs) of sustained operations saw the arrest of twenty-eight (28) suspected prostitutes, including two (2) nursing mothers.
The other suspects were the two (2) suspected Traffickers, Mr. Ndubueze Okereke, 37 years old, and his wife, Ifeoma Okereke, 35 years old, all Nigerians with the exception of Mr. Kofi Bekoe, who is a Ghanaian and the host among suspected trafficking syndicate.
This particular operation was planned and successfully carried out with the support from the authorities of Ellembelle and Nzema East Municipal Assemblies.
This had followed growing concerns of the nefarious activities being carried out by some of the foreign nationals within the said communities and the impunity with which the brothel operated.
A search conducted as part of the investigations revealed that all the suspects entered the country illegally and therefore, were without passports or any other travel identification documents.
A further search on them and the premises exposed packs of used and unused condoms, especially in the rooms.
In a related development, the very same Mr. Kofi Bekoe was arrested some months ago and granted bail in order to continue with the investigations into a case of harbouring foreign nationals engaged in prostitution, contrary to Act 29 of the Criminal Code of 1960, Aliens’ Registration Regulation 1974 (L.I. 856) and Section 13 of the Immigration Service Act 2000 (ACT 573) among other relevant legislations in Ghana.
Meanwhile, the suspects are currently in the custody of the Western Regional Command Headquarters for further investigations, prosecution, and subsequent repatriation to their country.
The operation was led by the Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Emmanuel Adams of Axim Sector Command with officers drawn from Axim and Mporhor offices of the Service.
The Service, by a statement, averted the minds of Landlords and property owners across the country to be mindful of the existence of the laws governing the conduct of citizens and foreigners and its consequences by checking and confirming the immigration status of all would-be foreign tenants before renting out their properties to them.
The Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service, in its quest to sustain this exercise into the future, seized the opportunity to encourage all its stakeholders, i.e. Law Enforcement Agencies, Chiefs, Opinion Leaders, Community Members, Border Residents as well as Transport/Canoe Operators to continue supporting its operations in order to ensure maximum security for both the indigenes and the foreign community in the region.
By: Zambaga Rufai Saminu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
