Ghana has repatriated 120 Nigerian nationals following a crackdown on suspected cybercrime centres where authorities say people were trafficked and forced to participate in online fraud, bringing a cross-border security operation to a new stage.

Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, announced the return on October 13, thanking the Ghana Air Force and Ministry of Defence for facilitating the process.

The operation, known as Operation Cyberhunt or Operation Blackout, involved Ghanaian security agencies alongside the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among other institutions.

Authorities seized 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet connectivity devices and four vehicles. One vehicle was reportedly stolen from Canada. Investigators also recovered jewellery and 10 Nigerian passports.

George said eight people were being processed for prosecution, although he did not disclose the specific charges or identify those individuals. The investigations into the suspects and seized equipment were continuing, according to the CSA.

The case highlights the overlap between cybercrime and human trafficking, as people recruited or transported under false pretences may be compelled to participate in online fraud. Their circumstances and individual roles remain important considerations as investigations proceed.

There is also a discrepancy in the reported repatriation figures. While George announced that 120 Nigerians had been returned, Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) speaking through its Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Vincent Adekoye, said on October 12 that it had received 105 Nigerians rescued in the Ghana operation, following an earlier count of 119 rescued by Ghanaian authorities.

The authorities have not publicly explained the difference between the number rescued, the number repatriated and the number received in Nigeria.

The operation underscores the need for Ghana and Nigeria to coordinate victim identification, repatriation and investigations while pursuing the networks accused of trafficking people into cybercrime activities.