Ghana Repatriates 120 Nigerians: Rights Group, ISRCA Urges Leaders To Wake Up, Save Country From National Shame

By Ezekiel Kagbala

The Initiative for Social Rights Concerns and Advancements (ISRCA) has called on Nigerian leaders to wake up to the country’s deepening social and economic challenges, warning that the repatriation of 120 Nigerians from Ghana exposes the urgent need for employment, youth empowerment and effective anti-trafficking measures.

The rights group commended Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority, Ministry of Defence and Air Force, alongside collaborating security agencies from Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States, for their roles in Operation Cyber-hunt, which reportedly rescued 120 Nigerians trafficked to Ghana and forced into cybercrime operations.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, ISRCA National Coordinator, Comrade Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Neri Okuguni, described the development as a wake-up call for Nigerian authorities.

The group blamed the situation on what it described as multidimensional poverty, unemployment and the failure to create sufficient opportunities for young people, warning that Nigeria risks further international embarrassment if the underlying problems remain unresolved.

“When people are hungry, they will seek survival by any means—even dubious ones,” ISRCA stated, insisting that Nigeria’s abundant resources should translate into jobs, economic opportunities and a better future for its citizens.

The organisation stressed that the repatriated youths need rehabilitation, psychosocial counselling, skills training and empowerment, rather than punishment alone, particularly where individuals were trafficked or coerced into criminal activities.

“These 120 youths need help, not just handcuffs. You cannot return traumatised youths to the same poverty that pushed them out,” the group warned.

ISRCA urged federal and state governments to prioritise mass employment, vocational and technology-based training, support for small businesses and start-ups, and effective reintegration programmes for vulnerable youths.

While reaffirming the need to combat cybercrime and human trafficking, the group cautioned that enforcement without economic opportunities would leave the conditions that expose young Nigerians to exploitation largely unchanged.

“You cannot arrest poverty out of a people. Let’s save our youths. Let’s fix Nigeria,” ISRCA declared.