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Nigerian kidnappers posing as white lovers lure, abduct Ghanaian women in Port Harcourt
Nigerian kidnappers posing as white lovers lure, abduct Ghanaian women in Port Harcourt
By: Zagazola MakamA
Two Ghanaian women have been rescued from captivity in Nigeria after they were lured through social media by a group of Nigerian kidnappers who posed as white men in search of romantic partners.
Zagazola Makama understands that the victims, Anastasia Beidou and Evelyn Sewa Kunedu, were deceived into traveling separately to Nigeria, where they were abducted, tortured, and held for ransom.
At a press briefing held on Tuesday at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra, the Ghana Police Service confirmed that eight suspects have been arrested five in Ghana and three in Nigeria in connection with the kidnapping.
The Director-General of the CID, COP, Lydia Yaako Donkor, said the suspects used social media platforms to initiate romantic conversations with the victims while pretending to be foreign nationals seeking marriage.
The victims, unaware of the trap, accepted the marriage proposals. On April 22, 2025, both women traveled to Nigeria separately but arrived at the same location in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Upon arrival, they were seized by the gang and held captive.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 500,000 Ghana Cedis from each victim’s family. Videos sent to their relatives showed the victims bound and pleading for help, prompting immediate police investigations in Ghana.
A coordinated operation involving the Ghana Police Service, Nigeria Police Force, and the National Signals Bureau led to the arrest of five suspects in Ghana. These included Christian Emeka, and Basil Okonkwo, both Nigerians; and Titus Imba Awuni, Alfred Amalbio, and Mama Mahaseni Matei, all Ghanaians.
Three more suspects Peter Okoye, Paulinos Chidokwe, and Chinonso Okafo, were arrested in Port Harcourt and Onitsha by Nigerian authorities. The victims were rescued unharmed and are currently undergoing trauma care.
Investigations revealed that the suspects used Ghanaian SIM cards fraudulently registered with stolen Ghana Card details to receive ransom payments. One suspect, Titus Imba Awuni, a mobile money vendor, confessed to acquiring SIM cards through a telecom company employee who provided login credentials to register the cards illegally.
The suspects used the SIM cards to receive a total of 13,200 Ghana Cedis in ransom, which was later transferred into a Nigerian bank account under the name Cecilia Williams.
The victims reported that while in captivity, they were stripped naked, beaten with shards of glass, wrapped in orange bedsheets, and threatened with death. The gang recorded the abuse to pressure their families for ransom.
DCOP Donkor warned the public, especially young women, to exercise caution in online interactions, noting that criminal syndicates are increasingly using social media to exploit and abduct unsuspecting individuals.
She added that efforts are ongoing to extradite the suspects to Ghana for prosecution and reaffirmed the commitment of the Ghana Police to combating cross-border crime through collaboration with regional and international partners.
Nigerian kidnappers posing as white lovers lure, abduct Ghanaian women in Port Harcourt
Troops rescue two kidnapped victims in Benue
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 1 under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued two kidnapped victims in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
Security sources said the incident occurred at about 3:50 a.m. on April 15 when troops deployed at Kyado responded to a distress call on kidnapping activities in the area.
According to the sources, the troops swiftly moved to the scene, prompting the kidnappers to abandon their victims and flee.
The sources added that the troops successfully rescued the two victims and reunited them with their families.
Security operations have been intensified in the area to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent further incidents.
Troops rescue two kidnapped victims in Benue
Troops arrest bandit kingpin’s Deputy, wife in Gombe following intelligence operation
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops have arrested the second-in-command to a notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Auta, alongside his wife in Gombe State following an intelligence-led tracking operation across multiple locations.
Sources said the suspects, identified as Bala, popularly known as “Pakapaka,” and his wife, Zulaha Bala, were intercepted after fleeing from Dajin Madam Forest in Plateau State.
According to the sources, the arrests were the result of sustained intelligence surveillance and coordinated ground tracking by security operatives targeting fleeing members of the criminal network.
The suspects are currently in custody and undergoing interrogation to determine their level of involvement in the group’s activities and possible connections with other cells operating within and outside the region.
In a related development, troops conducted follow-up patrols around Bayar village in the Duguri axis after intelligence indicated that the main bandit kingpin had fled into the area.
However, no contact was made during the search operation.
Security sources said troops have continued to dominate the general area with sustained patrols aimed at denying criminal elements freedom of movement and disrupting their operational networks across Plateau, Taraba, and adjoining states.
Troops arrest bandit kingpin’s Deputy, wife in Gombe following intelligence operation
Troops rescue 12 kidnapped victims, arrest kingpin’s aides in Plateau–Taraba forest operations
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops conducting ongoing clearance operations under Operation Wutan Daji have rescued 12 kidnapped victims and arrested key associates of a fleeing bandit leader during coordinated offensives across forested areas linking Plateau and Taraba States.
A military source said the operations, carried out on April 15 and 16, involved troops of the 33 Artillery Brigade in conjunction with an Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) tactical team.
According to the source, the operations were conducted in the Dajin Madam and Kumbodoro forest axis, spanning parts of Plateau and Taraba States.
The source said the sustained offensive led to the recovery of 12 kidnapped victims who escaped from their captors during the pressure mounted by troops.
The victims were subsequently taken into custody for profiling before being moved to an Internally Displaced Persons facility in Fukuk.
Troops also recovered a Dane gun, a fabricated AK-47 rifle and a power bank during the operation.
Troops rescue 12 kidnapped victims, arrest kingpin’s aides in Plateau–Taraba forest operations
Troops rescue two kidnapped victims in Benue
Troops arrest suspected ammunition racketeer in Cross River
Troops arrest bandit kingpin’s Deputy, wife in Gombe following intelligence operation
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