Kidnapping case: Two victims were lured through romance scam – Police

The Ghana Police Service reports that two women were kidnapped in Nigeria. They were deceived through an online romance scam.

The police worked with the National Signals Bureau and the Nigeria Police Force. Together, they rescued the victims featured in a viral video. This video showed the women in distress and caused public outrage.

In a joint operation, eight suspects were arrested. The arrests took place in both Ghana and Nigeria. Law enforcement agencies collaborated to track down the kidnappers.

DCOP Lydia Yaako Donkor leads the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). She stated that the victims, Anastasia Badoo Atta and Serwaa Konadu, were targeted on Facebook. Suspects posed as white men seeking marriage proposals to lure them to Nigeria.

The victims traveled separately but arrived at the same location on April 22, 2025. There, Peter Okoye and his accomplices kidnapped them. The abductors subjected the women to severe physical abuse.

They stripped them naked, tied them up, and assaulted them with cutlasses. The kidnappers threatened to kill them and recorded their violent acts on video. They sent this footage to the victims’ families, demanding GHS500,000 from each family.

In total, GHS18,000 was paid to phone numbers linked to the suspects. DCOP Donkor confirmed that both victims and suspects are now in Nigerian custody. Efforts are underway to return the victims to Ghana and extradite the suspects for further investigation.

Currently, information from Nigerian authorities indicates that both victims are safe. They have received routine medical checks after their ordeal.