33 Ghanaians paid up to GH¢300,000 (₦34.27 million) for a UK trip — why were they rescued from a Kogi camp?

• Some reportedly paid as much as GH¢300,000 (₦34.27 million), believing the journey could eventually take them to the UK.

• Relatives reportedly found the group at a camp in Anyigba, Kogi, after repeated demands for money raised concerns.

• The case comes as journalist Fisayo Soyombo exposes the dangers along an irregular migration route from Nigeria through Niger to Libya. 

For some people, the journey to the United Kingdom can begin with a visa application, a flight and a passport.

For 33 Ghanaians, however, the journey reportedly took a much stranger turn. They ended up at a camp in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria, after some reportedly paid as much as GH¢300,000 (about ₦34.27 million) in the hope of travelling to Europe.

According to reports, some Ghanaians sold businesses and parted with significant sums of money after being led to believe their stay in Nigeria was linked to plans to travel to the United Kingdom or elsewhere in Europe.

The group, which includes 12 women, was reportedly found during a raid by a special team from Ghana after relatives raised concerns about some of those who had travelled to Nigeria.

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The Ghanaians reportedly did not agree with the suggestion that they were being prepared for illegal migration. Some said they had travelled to Nigeria for network marketing, rather than as part of a plan to illegally enter Europe.

They were reportedly staying at one of several camps in the Anyigba area of Dekina Local Government Area.

The concern reportedly began after relatives noticed that some of those who had travelled to Nigeria were repeatedly asking for more money.

That raised questions about what they had been told before leaving Ghana and why additional payments were allegedly being requested.

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The case comes shortly after Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned citizens about deceptive travel and employment schemes.

On September 8, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the government was stepping up public education on human trafficking and the tactics used to lure Ghanaians abroad, while urging prospective travellers to verify recruitment agencies and travel opportunities through official channels.

The Kogi incident also comes as investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo documents the darker end of the journey some African migrants take in search of Europe. 

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In his latest undercover investigation, Soyombo spent 47 days travelling from Nigeria through Niger and into Libya, documenting migrants being subjected to abduction, extortion, physical abuse, forced labour and other forms of exploitation along the route.

His findings do not establish any connection between the 33 Ghanaians in Kogi and the networks he encountered in Libya, but they offer a sobering picture of the risks that can await migrants who enter irregular routes in search of Europe.