A Ghanaian Court, Winneba District Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Mr Isaac Oheneba Kufuor, has granted bail in the sum of 5,000 Ghana Cedis with one surety each to two Nigerians- Duru Favour, 26, an artist, and Paul Okafor, 29, a businessman over the kidnapping.
In line with a report by Ghanaweb, the duo kidnapped 39 other Nigerians trafficked into the country and kept them at Gomoa Pomadze.
Their victims were allegedly used to commit cyber fraud.
The two pleaded not guilty to the charges of kidnapping and use of trafficked persons. They are to re-appear before the court on July 23, 2020.
Chief Superintendent Samuel Okanta, an officer in charge of the Winneba Police Command, said Charles Ikorohk, a Nigerian, was the complainant.
He said Ikorohk arrived in Ghana (Accra) on January 22 to visit a friend by the name Collins but could not reach him on his phone and got stranded as a result.
Okanta said while at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Ikorohk met Uzo, also a Nigerian, who introduced him to his brother called Arisuezo, who offered to assist him in getting a place to sleep until he found his friend (Collins).
He said Arisuezo transported both his junior brother, Uzo, and Ikorohk to Winneba and kept them in a walled house at Gomoa Pomadze.
Ikorohk, on the third day, could not see Uzo again; hence he tried to leave the house. He was prevented and was locked up in a different room by Arisuezo where he met seven other Nigerians, and he was fed once a day.
Okanta said Ikorohk attempted to escape twice, but he was arrested and subjected to inhumane treatment.
All these while, Arisuezo used them to perpetrate cybercrime with the assistance of Favour and Okafor, who acted as supervisors.
Okanta said from January 26, Ikorohk could not step out of the house until Sunday, July 12, at 0800 hours, when he and others were asked to weed the compound.
Ikorohk scaled the wall and sought refuge in a nearby house after the two accused persons went out with one of the victims to withdraw money from a nearby mobile money vendor.
The occupants of the house later called the Effutu Municipal Joint Police and Military Patrol Team to rescue the complainant.
The commander said a team of police personnel went to the house, where Ikorohk was held captive for six months and forced open three single rooms where 38 others, all Nigerians, were rescued.
Thirty-six laptops were retrieved from the house. During the rescue exercise, Favour and Okafor informed the police that the victims were locked up on the orders of their boss, Arisuezo, who is on the run.
Okanta said the police were doing everything possible to arrest Arisuezo.
