In a chilling revelation, the Ghana Police Service has shared a detailed account of how two Ghanaian women were abducted and trafficked to Nigeria, with mobile money SIM cards playing a central role in the kidnappers’ operations. The suspects, eight in total—three Ghanaians and five Nigerians—were arrested after a coordinated investigation between Ghana’s National Signals Bureau and the Nigeria Police Force.
Among the suspects are Christian Emeka, Basil Okonkwo, Peter Okoye, Paulinus Chidokwe, Chinoso Okafor, Titus Mbah Awuni, Amabio Alfred, and Mahama Manasseh Nii Martey. Police said the victims were tricked with marriage proposals and lured across the border. Once there, the women were held captive as the criminals demanded ransom from their families using SIM cards registered with stolen Ghana Card credentials.
During interrogation, Amabio Alfred revealed he was unaware his details were used but identified Titus Mbah Awuni, a mobile money agent in Bolgatanga, as the individual responsible. Awuni allegedly collaborated with Abdul Mubariq Zakaria, an employee of a telecommunications company, to gain unauthorised access to the SIM registration platform. Zakaria reportedly handed over his login details and verification PINs to Awuni, who then used them to register SIM cards with unrelated Ghana Card information.
The registered SIMs were sold to Nigerian nationals at GH₵150 per card. These cards were then used to collect ransom payments from the victims’ families. According to police, suspect Christian Emeka confessed to receiving GH₵13,200 through two SIM cards—one registered to himself and another to an unknown individual. Emeka retained GH₵900 and sent the remaining GH₵12,200 to Peter Okoye, who had custody of the victims in Nigeria. The funds were later converted to Naira and deposited into a Nigerian bank account under the name Cecilia Williams.
The horrifying situation came to light when the family of one victim, Anastasia Badu Arthur, reported her missing after she left for a medical appointment in Hohoe on April 22, 2025. By April 24, her relatives received a video showing her tied up, with kidnappers demanding GH₵500,000 for her release. Similarly, Evelyn Serwaa Konadu was reported missing on April 30, with a video sent to her relatives and a ransom of GH₵50,000 requested.
The initial GH₵5000 payment for Evelyn was sent to a SIM registered in the name Bukari Danladi, followed by another GH₵8000 sent to a number registered as Barikisu Mohammed. Investigators discovered that the same location was used to record both videos and that the SIM cards were linked, strengthening the case against the suspects.
Peter Okoye’s identity and location were eventually uncovered with help from the arrested suspects. INTERPOL Nigeria acted on the intelligence and apprehended Okoye alongside Paulinus Chidokwe and Chinoso Okafor in cities including Port Harcourt and Onitsha.
Authorities continue to unravel the web of deceit and digital fraud used by the syndicate. The strategic misuse of SIM registration systems has now raised serious questions about the safeguarding of identity and the enforcement of telecom regulations. As law enforcement pushes to extradite the remaining suspects and reunite the victims with their families, the case has sparked national debate about digital security and human trafficking.
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