Ghana Arrests Eight in Cybercrime Centers and Rescues 120 Trafficked Victims

Ghanaian authorities led an operation against suspected cybercrime centers, arresting eight suspects, rescuing 120 trafficked victims and seizing electronics, vehicles and cash while rejecting claims of independent FBI leadership.

Ghana-Led Cybercrime Raid

Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority stated that Operation Blackout, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed under Ghanaian leadership with support from local and international partners including the FBI and UK’s National Crime Agency. [4] The operation targeted apartments at Ubuntu Haven Estate in Kpone Katamanso, Franko Estate in Ga North and other locations in Ga West following intelligence received on August 26, 2026. [4] Authorities arrested eight suspects, rescued 120 people suspected of being trafficked for online fraud (most of them Nigerians slated for repatriation), and recovered 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet devices, four motor vehicles (one stolen from Canada), jewellery and 10 Nigerian passports. [4] The CSA insisted foreign agencies cannot independently exercise police powers in Ghana and called on the FBI to clarify its public statements to accurately reflect Ghanaian leadership. [4]

The Authority said the exercise uncovered suspected cybercrime centres in parts of Ghana’s Greater Accra Region. [4] According to the CSA, the operation followed intelligence received on August 26, 2026, indicating that apartments at Ubuntu Haven Estate in Kpone Katamanso, Franko Estate in Ga North and other locations in Ga West were allegedly being used as bases for organised cybercrime, including romance scams. [4] Items recovered during the operation included 136 mobile phones, 130 laptops, internet connection devices, four motor vehicles and other digital equipment. [4] One of the vehicles was reportedly stolen from Canada. [4] Investigators also recovered jewellery and 10 Nigerian passports. [4] The Authority said most of the rescued victims were Nigerians and that arrangements were being made for their repatriation, while investigations into the suspects and seized electronic devices continued. [4] Reaffirming the country’s commitment to fighting cybercrime, the CSA said Ghana would not become a safe haven for criminal networks. [4] The statement added that protecting victims, preserving evidence, respecting due process and prosecuting offenders remained central to the country’s efforts to combat cyber-enabled crime. [4]

Dispute Over Operation Leadership

The CSA insisted foreign agencies cannot independently exercise police powers in Ghana and called on the FBI to clarify its public statements to accurately reflect Ghanaian leadership. [4] In a statement on its X handle on Friday, the CSA said it had taken note of a post on X by FBI Director Kashyap Pramod Patel concerning the operation. [4] “The Authority rejects any portrayal of the operation as independently conceived, commanded or executed by the FBI,” the statement said. [4] The Authority maintained that the operation was carried out within Ghana’s legal and institutional frameworks, stressing that foreign law enforcement agencies could not independently exercise police powers or conduct arrests in the country. [4] “Ghanaian authorities planned, coordinated and executed the operation within Ghana’s legal and institutional frameworks,” the statement said, adding that the exercise was not conducted under foreign operational command. [4] The CSA, however, acknowledged the contributions of its international partners, particularly the FBI and the UK’s National Crime Agency, in providing intelligence to support the investigation. [4] “The CSA calls upon the FBI to clarify its public account of the Ghana-led operation and acknowledge the contributions of the Ghanaian institutions and other international partners responsible for its execution,” the statement added. [4] The authority said it remained available for constructive engagement to ensure that public accounts of the operation accurately reflected the contributions of all participating agencies. [4]

International Partners Acknowledged

Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority stated that Operation Blackout, also known as Operation Cyber Hunt, was planned, coordinated and executed under Ghanaian leadership with support from local and international partners including the FBI and UK’s National Crime Agency. [4] The Authority said “Operation Blackout”, also known as “Operation Cyber Hunt”, was conducted under Ghanaian leadership with support from domestic and international law enforcement agencies. [4] According to the CSA, the operation was led and coordinated by the Authority, with support from Ghana’s National Security Council, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the FBI, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Office of the Attorney-General. [4] The CSA acknowledges the valuable intelligence contributions of the FBI and the NCA. [4] The statement added that international partnerships remained important in tackling transnational cybercrime but insisted that the respective roles of participating agencies must be accurately represented. [4]

Other Global Crime Developments

Masked robbers stole wine worth over $5 million from a top Italian vineyard. [2] Renoir paintings stolen from a Riviera museum were recovered with six people arrested. [5] Liberian authorities jailed a former NSA deputy and four others in a $317 million cocaine trafficking case involving ex-Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor. [3] Gerald Folley Smith, a former deputy director of the National Security Agency, and four other defendants in the cocaine trafficking case that includes former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor have been arrested and jailed at the Monrovia Central Prison on Wednesday. [3] Christian L. Nyantee, Jammel V. Jallah, Cayce L. Nelson, and Albenigo Janior were also taken into custody under a writ of arrest issued Wednesday by Criminal Court 'C'. [3] A special grand jury for Montserrado County returned a 55-page indictment against 18 named defendants. [3] The case stems from the July 21, 2026, seizure of 3,971 plates of cocaine in 157 bags from a compound on Cement Road in the VOA Community, off the Robertsfield Highway. [3] Prosecutors value the seized cocaine at about US$317 million. [3] Nigerian police confirmed the abduction of three staff from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria in Ibadan while 20 of 30 abducted corps members from Imo State regained freedom. [1] The Oyo State Police command, on Friday confirmed the abduction of three staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, in Ibadan, assuring that efforts are ongoing to secure their safe release and apprehend the perpetrators. [1] The PUNCH reports that 20 out of 30 prospective corps members, who were abducted last Thursday in Imo State, regained their freedom, on Friday. [1] They were kidnapped while traveling on two buses from Oyo to orientation camps in Abia State. [1] The remaining 10 escaped through the bush. [1] They regained their freedom seven days after abduction along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Umunoha, Imo State. [1]

What to watch next: The Oyo State Police command has launched a manhunt and ongoing operational efforts to secure the safe rescue of the three abducted CRIN staff members and apprehend the perpetrators. [1]