Ghanaian authorities have arrested 13 individuals, including 12 Nigerians, in a major operation targeting human trafficking and forced prostitution in the Eastern Region. The New Juaben South Municipal Police Command led the crackdown following a victim’s complaint.
The arrests unfolded after a 30-year-old Nigerian woman, Stella Godwill, filed a report on February 6, 2026. She alleged she was trafficked from Nigeria by Christabel Simon Monday and forced into prostitution. Godwill claimed she was required to earn a daily quota of 400 Ghana cedis but was physically assaulted by Monday and her boyfriend, Simon Kwarteng, after only making 250 cedis.
Police raided the Dabiasem area, apprehending Monday and subsequently discovering a suspected brothel. There, they arrested 12 other individuals and seized condoms. Among those detained are the property owner, accused of operating an illegal brothel by charging women 25 cedis daily, and a bouncer allegedly linked to the operation.
“The landlord was renting rooms knowingly for prostitution,” stated Superintendent Ransford Nsiah, the Municipal Police Commander. He confirmed approximately 15 suspects, aged 15 to 32, are in custody. The minor has been separated and placed under protective care through the Department of Social Welfare.
Authorities have issued a strong warning to landlords, reminding them that under Section 277 of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960, permitting property to be used as a brothel is a crime punishable by fine or imprisonment. The investigation remains ongoing.
