Afram Plains: Army, police rescue 16 of 24 trafficked children

Some military and police personnel stormed Edrakpota to rescue 16 trafficked children

The Eastern regional police command has said it has arrested nine suspected human traffickers in the Afram Plains North Constituency and did not kidnap them as being alleged by the MP for the area, Betty Krosbi Nana Afua Mensah.

The MP, in a statement on Sunday, 28 April 2019, alleged that some military and police personnel stormed her constituency, specifically Edrakpota, one of the Island communities amidst heavy gunshots and kidnapped nine of her constituents in Rambo style.

She said children and women had to run into the bush for cover, adding that seven of the children who sought refuge in the bush have since not been found.

The lawmaker also said neither the police nor the army has given any indications as to where the order to storm the community came from.

According to her, there is also no information on the whereabouts and wellbeing of the nine men who were arrested by the uniformed men, adding that the whole community has been thrown into a state of fear and panic.

But the regional police command said the children, who are victims of human trafficking, were rescued during an operation by the anti-human trafficking unit of the Ghana Police Service and the military, who also arrested the nine suspected traffickers in the process.

The PRO of the regional command, DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, told Class News: “What we did in the area was a legitimate police operation to rescue 24 children who have been trafficked from all over the country. From places like Kasoa, Asesewa Ningo, Prampram and some other towns.

“They have been trafficked to the area and they’re being used for hazardous jobs. They use them for fishing expedition to disentangle, especially nets when they get entangled in the water during fishing expeditions. And we have had situations whereby some of the children have died as a result of that.

“So, based on intelligence, the police went to the area to rescue those children and it was an operation carried out by the anti-human trafficking unit. We carried out the operation to rescue them and to arrest the perpetrators and deal with them.

“Part of those arrested were foster parents who are keeping some of those kidnapped children. We’ve rescued 16 out of the 24 and the eight, we’re still pursuing to rescue them. The nine we’ve arrested we are investigating and when we conclude we shall take them to court.”