Ghana and Nigeria have agreed to build a formal bilateral cybercrime enforcement framework following a string of intelligence-led operations that resulted in the arrest of at least 242 Nigerian nationals across the Greater Accra Region since December, with Accra making clear it intends to make Ghana structurally unattractive as a base for organised cyber fraud.
Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George met Nigerian High Commissioner Ambassador Ibok Ete Ekwe Iban in Accra on Sunday February 16 to review the outcomes of the crackdowns and agree on practical steps the two countries will take together to protect the digital space. Ambassador Ibok Ete Ekwe Iban expressed concern over the scale of the arrests and pledged Nigeria’s commitment to tackling the root causes of cybercrime, while stressing the importance of protecting law-abiding Nigerians and maintaining the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries.
The diplomatic meeting came after a sequence of escalating operations. In December 2025, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) of Ghana, working with National Security and the Ghana Police Service, arrested 48 suspected Nigerian cybercrime operatives in the Dawhenya area of the Ningo-Prampram constituency. Days later, a second operation resulted in the arrest of 141 Nigerians across Tabora and Lashibi, with investigators recovering 38 laptops and 150 mobile phones believed to have been used in cyber-related financial crimes. A Ghanaian landlord who allegedly housed approximately 100 of the suspects was also arrested.
The largest single operation came on January 16 and 17, 2026, when a joint task force comprising National Security Operations, the CSA, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Ghana Police Service SWAT Unit conducted simultaneous raids at five locations in East Legon Hills, Afienya, Kwabenya, Weija and Tuba, netting 53 Nigerian nationals. Of those arrested, nine were identified as principal suspects allegedly linked to coordinating and executing cybercrime activities, while 44 others were assessed as victims of human trafficking and cybercrime exploitation found operating laptops inside apartments. Searches recovered 52 mobile phones, 62 laptop computers and two pump-action guns.
Minister George disclosed that some individuals arrested in earlier operations have already been profiled by the Ghana Immigration Service in collaboration with INTERPOL and handed over to Nigerian law enforcement at the Seme border, while others currently face criminal prosecution before Ghanaian courts.
The minister has urged foreign nationals to exercise caution before accepting invitations to Ghana from fellow nationals, particularly those promising employment or financial opportunities that have increasingly been used as recruitment tools for organised cybercrime syndicates. Both governments indicated that a structured cooperation arrangement, covering border security, intelligence sharing and cross-border prosecution, is now being developed.
Source : www.newsghana.com.gh
