Fraudsters in Court for Human Trafficking

An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to two internet fraudsters accused of human trafficking and assault. Tijani Hussein and Hassan Great, both facing charges related to human trafficking and assault, have been granted bail in the amount of GH¢50,000.00, with two sureties each. Additionally, they are required to deposit their travel documents with the court’s registry.

Tijani Hussein stands accused of recruiting and bringing four victims from Nigeria to Ghana under the pretense of finding them jobs but allegedly exploiting them for internet fraud. He is also charged with subjecting the victims to physical assault.

Hussein’s co-accused, Hassan Great, is facing charges of conspiring to assault the victims and actively participating in their assault. Both accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The victims, Christopher Junior Anyanwu, Kelvin Aghator, Israel Dan, and Godwin Adibo, were allegedly recruited from Nigeria and coerced into internet fraud upon their arrival in Ghana. According to the prosecution, Hussein confiscated their phones, deleted all information from them, and subjected them to severe beatings if they did not understand the fraudulent activities they were taught.

The victims were allegedly kept under strict control, with limited access to food and water. They were reportedly forced to work long hours on fraudulent schemes targeting individuals, primarily from Japan, on Instagram.

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In August 2023, Hussein recruited two more victims, Israel and Godwin, and subjected them to similar abuse. Another individual, Clement Moses, who was allegedly involved in the illegal activities, is currently on the run and yet to be arrested.

The case came to light when Israel, one of the victims, reported the assault to the Ayikuma Police Station after being transferred from Hussein’s custody to work under Clement Moses. This led to the rescue of the other victims and the subsequent arrest of the accused.

During the investigation, Hussein admitted to recruiting and transporting the victims from Nigeria to Ghana, while both Hussein and Hassan admitted to assaulting the victims. However, they denied employing the victims for internet fraud.

In their request for bail, the defense counsel argued that the accused had pleaded their innocence, had a fixed place of abode, and were committed to appearing in court for trial. The counsel also pointed out that the accused had been previously released on police investigation bail without violating any of the bail conditions.

The prosecution did not oppose bail, provided that the accused agreed to appear in court for the trial. The court granted bail to the accused, and they are scheduled to appear in court on November 16, 2023, for further proceedings.

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