By Daniel Bampoe
In a dramatic and coordinated international law enforcement effort, the Ghana Police Service, with support from the National Signals Bureau (NSB) and the Nigerian Police Force, has successfully rescued two Ghanaian women, including Ama Serwaa, who were victims of a brutal kidnapping in Nigeria that shocked the nation.
Ama Serwaa, a 39-year-old hairdresser from Asiakwa, a community near Kyebi in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region, became the face of public anguish after a video went viral last week, showing her being tortured with a machete while pleading for her life.
In the disturbing footage, she was seen half-naked, bruised, and begging her family and the public to pay a ransom of GHS 500,000 to secure her release.
Her captors, speaking in threatening tones, demanded payment or threatened to mutilate her.
The horror sparked outrage and fear across Ghana, reigniting public discourse on the recent rise in cross-border kidnappings targeting Ghanaians and the troubling trend of human trafficking networks operating in West Africa.
Rescue and Arrests
In response to the public outcry and the urgency of the case, the Ghanaian Police launched a full-scale operation with intelligence gathered by the NSB. Working closely with their Nigerian counterparts, operatives carried out simultaneous raids on multiple hideouts across both countries.
These operations resulted in the arrest of eight individuals suspected to be members of a kidnapping syndicate operating between Ghana and Nigeria.
The Ghana Police Service confirmed the rescue of Ama Serwaa and another unidentified female victim.
Both women are said to be in safe custody and receiving medical and psychological care.
In an official statement, the Ghana Police Service expressed deep appreciation to the National Signals Bureau and the Nigerian Police Force for their vital collaboration and swift response in executing the high-risk operation.
The statement praised the “seamless cooperation” between the agencies, describing the arrests and rescues as a critical breakthrough in tackling organized cross-border crime.
Investigations are ongoing, and Police have indicated that further details — including the identities of the arrested suspects and the second rescued woman — will be made public in due course.
