Cybercrime Crackdown: 53 Suspects Arrested in Parts of Accra
- Samuel Nartey George, the Minister for Communication, announced that security agencies have arrested 53 suspected cybercriminals
- He stated that the suspects were arrested in five separate suburbs in the capital, and several items, including laptops and mobile phones, were retrieved
- Social media users congratulated the Minister and his team for such moves, while others suggested a better way to ensure cybercrime ends or is reduced
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The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology & Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced the arrest of 53 cybercrime operatives in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the Minister, all 53 suspects are Nigerians and were arrested within East Legon Hills, Afienya, Kwanya, Weija, and Tuba.
Source: Facebook
In a Facebook post, the Minister said that out of the total number arrested, 44 of them were believed to be victims, while nine of them were kingpins.
"The intelligence indicated that young men were being exploited and coerced to engage in various cybercrime activities at these locations by kingpins. Acting on this CSA-led intelligence, a joint team comprising operatives from National Security Operations, the Cyber Security Authority, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, and the National Police SWAT conducted coordinated operations at the identified centres on 16th and 17th January 2026."
"During the operations, nine (9) Nigerian nationals were arrested as suspects, while forty-four (44) additional Nigerian nationals believed to be victims were rescued. The victims were found in their respective apartments, operating laptop computers," he added.
The searches conducted in the apartments resulted in the retrieval of several items, including 52 different mobile phones, 62 laptop computers and two pump-action firearms.
A breakdown of the total number of suspects arrested showed that 5 people were nabbed in East Legon Hills, and 11 at Afienya. Meanwhile, 10 suspects each were arrested at Kwabenya and Weija. In Tuba, 17 suspects were arrested.
Samuel Nartey George stated that all the arrested individuals had been profiled and handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for safekeeping and further investigation.
He added that some of those who were arrested in previous operations have been profiled by the Ghana Immigration Service and INTERPOL and successfully handed over to Nigerian law enforcement operatives at the Seme border.
"Others are currently facing criminal prosecution before the law courts. Protecting Ghana's cyber image internationally is non-negotiable. Kudos to the CSA team and our partner law enforcement agencies."
Reactions to cybercriminal arrests in Accra
YEN.com.gh collated some reactions to the post shared by Sam George on Facebook. Read them below:
Charity Selorm said:
"Happy to know Afienya is in there...the stories from some locals are crazy."
Emmanuel Hopeson wrote:
"Arrest the landlords too."
Tekolibe Collins said:
"The annoying part is that these kingpins will come out one day and tell us that they started their business with Ghs 1."
Jay Kwashie wrote:
"Honourable, why can’t they be jailed here? Handing them over to Nigeria after all the tedious efforts by your team feels someway. They can easily change their identities, return, and set up operations in another community in Ghana. Anyway, congratulations to your team. Cheers."
Elias Zoramwine Mane said:
"Kudos, boss Sam Dzata George and your team at the Cyber Security Authority, Ghana and partner agencies, but beyond these arrests, how are financial institutions, telcos, and platforms being held accountable to reduce MoMo fraud, phishing attacks, and systemic vulnerabilities that enable these crimes?"
Yeboah Benjamin wrote:
"Maybe, the approach of just arresting and processing them for repatriation is not deterrent enough. The state must review its strategy to reflect a more effective approach to teaching them that Ghana is accommodating, but not a docile or a pushover state."
William Nlanjerbor said:
"Great job done by our security services. But, Sam Dzata George, in the scheme of things, isn't it obvious that the individuals who rent their properties to these suspected criminals know what they use those properties for? Shouldn't we begin to arrest and prosecute such property owners for abetting crime?"
Source: Facebook
32 Nigerians arrested in Kasoa
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that 32 Nigerian nationals living in Tuba, Kasoa, have been apprehended over their alleged involvement in cybercrime activities.
The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) and National Security operatives seized several electronic devices for investigations.
Communications Minister Sam George spoke about the arrests of the individuals in a social media post on Saturday, December 13.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
