Ghanaian Women Rescued From Kidnappers Posing As White Lovers In P/Harcourt
Two Ghanaian women have been rescued from captivity in Nigeria after being lured through social media by a group of kidnappers who posed as white men seeking romantic partners.
The victims, Anastasia Beidou and Evelyn Sewa Kunedu, were deceived into traveling separately to Nigeria, where they were abducted, tortured, and held for ransom.
The Ghana Police Service confirmed the rescue and announced the arrest of eight suspects in connection with the crime. Five were apprehended in Ghana, and three in Nigeria.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, revealed that the kidnappers initiated romantic conversations with the victims via social media, pretending to be foreign nationals looking for marriage.
The women accepted the proposals, unaware of the trap.
On April 22, 2025, both women arrived separately in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where they were seized by the gang and held hostage.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 500,000 Ghana Cedis from each victim’s family.
Videos sent to the families showed the victims bound and pleading for help, prompting immediate police action in Ghana.
A joint operation between the Ghana Police Service, Nigeria Police Force, and the National Signals Bureau led to the arrest of five suspects in Ghana: Nigerians 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 arrested in Port Harcourt and Onitsha.
The victims were freed without harm and are currently receiving trauma care.
Investigations revealed that the kidnappers used fraudulently registered Ghanaian SIM cards, obtained through stolen Ghana Card details, to receive ransom payments.
One suspect, Titus Imba Awuni, a mobile money vendor, admitted to acquiring the SIM cards through a telecom company employee who provided login credentials for illegal registration.
The kidnappers received a total of 13,200 Ghana Cedis in ransom, which was transferred to a Nigerian bank account under the name Cecilia Williams.
During their captivity, the victims were stripped, beaten with glass shards, wrapped in orange bedsheets, and threatened with death.
The gang recorded the abuse to pressure the families for payment.
COP Donkor issued a warning to the public, especially young women, to be cautious in online interactions, as criminal syndicates are increasingly using social media to exploit unsuspecting individuals.
She also assured that efforts are underway to extradite the suspects to Ghana for prosecution and reiterated the Ghana Police’s commitment to combating cross-border crime through collaboration with regional and international partners.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
