A 26-year-old Nigerian man charged with human trafficking has been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court.

Osahenvimwen Raymond was charged for receiving 18 trafficked people from Nigeria to Ghana and engaging them in cybercrime activities. He pleaded not guilty.

An application for bail by Osahenvimwen’s counsel was declined by the court because he was not gainfully employed.

Osahenvimwen’s counsel had earlier prayed the court to grant him bail because he had a fixed place of abode and had sureties present in court to execute the bail conditions when granted.

According to the counsel, Osahenvimwen was not a flight risk and would readily avail himself when needed by the court.

However, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, vehemently opposed the grant of bail, saying the accused person was not gainfully employed.

ASP Nyamekye told the court that Osahenvimwen was a flight risk and would not appear to stand trial when granted bail considering the severity of the offence.

“Investigations indicated that the accused person is into internet fraud since his stay in Ghana,” ASP Nyamekye said.

The Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, therefore, remanded the accused person into Police custody to reappear on January 31, 2023.

ASP Nyamekye, prosecuting, told the Court that, the complainant and the accused person are all Nigerians residing at Kwabenya.

The prosecution said in 2022, Osahenvimwen recruited the complainant and 17 other victims from Nigeria through a syndicate.

Osahenvimwen deceived the victims that he was a businessperson in Ghana and could help them progress in life. His agent in Nigeria put the complainant and victims on a bus with directions to where he resided in Ghana.

The prosecution said on their arrival in Ghana, the complainant and the 17 others traced Osahenvimwen to his abode at Kwabenya, where he employed them in cybercrime activities.

The victims, according to the prosecution, tried severally to get Osahenvimwen to release them to return to Nigeria, but failed in all attempts.

The prosecution said the complainant who was fed up with the situation, contacted his elder brother back in Nigeria, who happened to be a Police Officer.

It said the complainant’s brother contacted the Police Intelligence Unit in Ghana, which led to the arrest of Osahenvimwen and the rescued of the victims.