Ghana and Nigeria Police establish joint task force to combat human trafficking and cybercrimes

The Ghana Police Service and the Nigeria Police Force have reaffirmed their commitment to intensify joint efforts in combating human trafficking and related transnational crimes across West Africa. This follows a high-level bilateral meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday, November 7, 2025.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, and the Deputy Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force, Sadiq I. Abubakar, mni, PhD. The session brought together senior officials from law enforcement, immigration, intelligence, and diplomatic institutions of both countries.

Discussions focused on emerging forms of human trafficking, their growing link with cyber-related crimes, and the need for stronger regional cooperation to address the increasing number of victims in the sub-region. DIG Abubakar commended Ghana’s CID Director-General for her proactive initiative in proposing the meeting during the INTERPOL Africa Regional Conference in South Africa earlier this year. 

COP Donkor, on her part, expressed appreciation to the Nigerian authorities for their collaboration and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to intensifying intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement actions. Both delegations agreed to establish a Joint Task Force (JTF) to handle cross-border trafficking cases, appoint focal officers for real-time information exchange, and develop standard protocols for victim repatriation and referral. 

They also resolved to launch joint awareness campaigns targeting youth and border communities and to convene a high-level meeting of West African Police Chiefs to harmonize regional strategies against trafficking. The meeting concluded with the signing of a communiqué reaffirming the shared commitment of Ghana and Nigeria to dismantle human trafficking networks, protect victims, and sustain bilateral dialogue under the frameworks of ECOWAS and INTERPOL.