On May 6, 2025, the Ghana Police Service provided a detailed account of the kidnapping of two Ghanaian women, who were lured to Nigeria and held for ransom.
The incident gained significant attention after a viral video of the victims was circulated, leading to the collaboration between the National Signals Bureau (NSB) and the Nigerian Police Force, which ultimately led to the victims’ rescue on May 1, 2025.
Eight suspects, including three Ghanaians and five Nigerians, were arrested in connection with the crime. The suspects were identified as Christian Emeka (27), Basil Okonkwo (29), Peter Okoye (31), Paulinus Chidokwe (35), Chinoso Okafor (35), Titus Mbah Awuni (25), Amabio Alfred (21), and Mahama Manasseh Nii Martey (33).
At a press briefing in Accra, Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), DCOP Lydia Yaako Donkor, revealed that during the investigation, suspect Amabio Alfred disclosed that he was not directly involved in the kidnapping but had his personal details, including his Ghana Card information, used by suspect Titus Mbah Awuni to illegally register SIM cards, which were then sold to Nigerians involved in the crime.
The investigation uncovered that Titus Mbah Awuni, a mobile money agent in Bolgatanga, had collaborated with Abdul Mubariq Zakaria, an employee of a telecommunications company, to use fraudulent methods to register SIM cards. Zakaria provided Mbah Awuni with the necessary credentials to access the SIM registration app, which allowed him to register cards using stolen Ghanaian identity details and sell them for GH₵150 each.
Christian Emeka, arrested on May 1, 2025, shared his involvement in the scheme. He explained that in April 2025, he invited Basil Okonkwo from Nigeria to Ghana to assist him in business ventures. Emeka mentioned that while in Ghana, Peter Okoye contacted him and informed him that he had kidnapped two Ghanaian women and was using Emeka’s mobile money account to receive ransom payments.
“Later, Peter Okoye called that he needed an additional mobile money number for the same purpose,” DCOP Donkor said. Emeka provided Okoye with another SIM card, this time registered under the name Alfred Amoh Obio, which was subsequently used to receive ransom payments.
In total, Emeka received GH₵13,200 in ransom via his mobile money account. Out of this, he kept GH₵900 for himself and GH₵450 for transfer charges, sending the remaining GH₵12,200 to Peter Okoye through a phone number linked to suspect Mahama Manasseh Nii Martey. The ransom was later converted to Nigerian Naira and transferred to a Nigerian bank account held by Peter Okoye.
After the arrests of Christian Emeka and Basil Okonkwo, the Ghana Police were able to trace the true identity and location of Peter Okoye, who was holding the victims in Nigeria. This information was shared with INTERPOL Nigeria, leading to the arrest of Peter Okoye, Paulinus Chidokwe, and Chinoso Okafor in Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Nigeria.
The case was first reported to the police on April 25, 2025, when Anastasia Badu Arthur was reported missing after leaving for a routine medical check-up in Hohoe. Her relatives received a video of her abduction along with a ransom demand for GH₵500,000. On April 30, 2025, the family of the second victim, Evelyn Serwaa Konadu, also reported her missing after receiving a similar video, where she was seen tied to a chair, with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of GH₵50,000.
The ransom payments were made in two installments: GH₵5,000 to a phone number registered in the name of Bukari Danladi, and GH₵8,000 to another number registered under Barikisu Mohammed. Through their investigation, the police discovered that both victims were held in the same location, and the same set of phone numbers were used for the ransom payments.
The investigation continues as authorities work to bring the remaining suspects to justice and unravel further details of the crime syndicate behind the kidnapping.
