Two Ghanaian women have been rescued from captivity in Nigeria after falling prey to a sophisticated online romance scam orchestrated by a gang of Nigerian kidnappers posing as white men seeking love and marriage.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-IDRI-Masterclass.png")
The victims, Anastasia Beidou and Evelyn Sewa Kunedu, were separately lured to Nigeria through deceptive social media interactions. Upon arrival in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, they were abducted, tortured, and held for ransom.
According to Zagazola Makama, the Ghana Police Service confirmed on Tuesday that eight suspects—five in Ghana and three in Nigeria—have been arrested in connection with the cross-border abduction.
At a press briefing held at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra, the Director-General of the CID, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, detailed how the suspects used fake online identities to win the trust of the victims. Pretending to be foreign men looking for marriage, the kidnappers initiated romantic conversations that ultimately led the women to travel to Nigeria on April 22, 2025.
Upon their arrival, the women were seized, stripped naked, beaten with shards of glass, wrapped in orange bedsheets, and filmed while pleading for help. The videos were sent to their families along with ransom demands of 500,000 Ghana Cedis per victim.
The brutal footage triggered swift action from the Ghana Police, which launched a coordinated international operation with the Nigeria Police Force and the National Signals Bureau.
Five suspects were arrested in Ghana, including Nigerian nationals Christian Emeka and Basil Okonkwo, and Ghanaians Titus Imba Awuni, Alfred Amalbio, and Mama Mahaseni Matei. Three additional suspects—Peter Okoye, Paulinos Chidokwe, and Chinonso Okafo—were apprehended in Port Harcourt and Onitsha by Nigerian authorities.
The victims were rescued unharmed and are currently receiving trauma care and psychological support.
Investigations revealed that the kidnappers used Ghanaian SIM cards fraudulently registered with stolen Ghana Card identities to receive ransom payments. One suspect, Titus Imba Awuni, a mobile money vendor, admitted to illegally registering the SIMs through a telecom employee who provided login access to company systems.
The gang reportedly collected 13,200 Ghana Cedis in ransom, which was funneled into a Nigerian bank account bearing the name Cecilia Williams.
COP Donkor issued a stern warning to the public—especially young women—about the growing threat of online scams and social media-facilitated abductions. She urged vigilance in digital interactions and emphasized the importance of verifying online acquaintances before making travel plans.
She further announced that extradition processes are underway to bring the suspects to Ghana to face prosecution, reaffirming the Ghana Police Service’s commitment to tackling transnational crime through regional and international cooperation.
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation
______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
