Court remands nine in Afram Plains child trafficking case

The Koforidua Circuit Court B has remanded into police custody the nine persons arrested by a joint Police and Navy operation team for alleged child trafficking.

The Court presided by Her Honour Mercy Adei Kotei rejected their pleas as they face charges of conspiracy to commit crime and human trafficking.

They will reappear before the court on May 5, 2019.

The joint Police and Navy operation team invaded Didja Island on Afram Plains North District to rescue 24 alleged trafficked children.

The victims’ age between six to 12 were reportedly trafficked from Kasoa and Weija area in the Greater Accra region to the Island Community to engage in fishing.

The arrest

Information gathered by Starr News indicate that the Eastern Regional Police Command through its partners picked information about the trafficked children upon which undercover investigators were dispatched to the community for days to gather evidence.

After days of work, the undercover investigators managed to establish the modus operandi of the suspects and got the identity of the victims.

The evidence triggered the Operation in the Community Saturday by the Security team made up of personnel of the Counter Terrorism Unit and the Navy.

Starr News has also gathered that the nine suspects have admitted the offence and promised to produce the children.

MP not happy

The Member of Parliament for the area, Betty Krosbi, condemned the Rambo-style invasion of the community.

“The action by the uniformed security men created fear and panic causing women and children to run into the bush for cover. The whereabouts of seven of the children who escaped into the bush cannot be traced 24 hours after that unfortunate incident,” she said.

The MP has appealed to “the Police High Command both at the Eastern Regional and National levels to intervene as a matter of urgency to find and locate the missing children with their parents.”

She maintains that the “nine residents (men) arrested should be released with immediate effect demanding for immediate answers as to who ordered the unprofessional arrest of the nine residents and for what reasons/offence”.

Several operations in the Afram Plains area over child trafficking have been met with resistance by the communities and MP who accused NGOs and Security of wild goose chase since the said trafficked children are natives and not trafficked.

 

Source: Starr Online