In Accra, Ghana, at least 120 Cameroonians are presently squatting, cramped in rooms and corridors in a compound owned by one of their countrymen. Tricked into believing they could pick up lucrative jobs in the country, these Cameroonians ended up stranded, as they realised too late that all of this was just a well organised scam.
Few weeks after at least 12 Cameroonian youths lost their lives in the sea while trying to reach Europe, several footages have emerged on social media, released by other Cameroonians who are being held against their will, depicting their misery in Ghana.
Lured into thinking they could get white-collar jobs in the West African country, these Cameroonians who braved difficult and dangerous conditions in quest for greener pastures, are now warning other Cameroonians not to fall into the same trap, in trying to find non-existent greener pastures.
A Cameroonian, who is resident in Ghana, explained in an interview that most of the cases he handled resulted from fake job adverts, setup by a network of mischievous Cameroonians in Ghana, deceiving people into thinking that they will be employed by companies, but end up as street vendors for companies distributing food supplements.
"They are being deceived by fellow Cameroonians who are on the ground. There are other companies on the ground too that are luring people but there are Cameroonians they are using to lure their friends to come in. Like the case I am handling now, they asked him to bring FCFA 800 000. After bringing the money, they said he is not qualified for the job, he needs to bring another FCFA 1.3 million," he said, choosing to remain anonymous.
"Some of them are living under very difficult conditions and women who cannot withstand the situation will have to sell themselves for money. Most of them are in their 20s and 30s. The situation is really bad" he added.
"They make you come and then they collect FCFA 800 000 or 1 million CFA francs from you. You will later on realise that there are even no jobs" explained a commentator who released one of the footages, exposing the pathetic conditions of those held captive.
He blamed Cameroonian scammers of extorting huge amounts of up to $2000 from some of them upon claims that it will serve as a fee to guarantee for themselves, lucrative jobs in the said country, and warned Cameroonian youths who were considering the option that no jobs await them in Ghana.
Musi Favor, a victim shared her survival story and how she narrowly escaped stating that she ventured into that path as a result of the ongoing Anglophone crisis, where she witnessed her neighbour's child killed by a stray bullet and several other school children's fingers chopped off.
"I was chatting on the phone with people that are having jobs around so I saw that there is a job in Ghana with accommodation and feeding. I thought if this is Ghana it would be better to leave Buea as it was not safe, considering the killing of my neighbour's child. When I arrived, they asked me to bring my luggage and put me in contact with a lady who they claimed had accepted that I come and work with her.
“I decided to drop down from the bus at a place called La passe and explained to some Ghanaian women that the person I am to meet keeps changing the venue. They advised me to go back to the office of the persons who put me in contact with the lady. Upon arriving there, the men were shocked to see me and we're curious to know how I came back. When I confronted the guy, he angrily told me to take my money and leave" said Musi Favor.
She further explained that, these agents go about posting fake job adverts around town in Ghana, stating that there are free jobs and accommodation available. She said that foreigners who fall prey are most times trafficked and sent to places where they will be captured and used to make money.
Besides Cameroonians, other victims hail from countries like Chad, Burkina Faso and Congo. This is unfolding few days after some Cameroonians have been flown home from Tunisia, following some anti-immigration incidents and barely weeks after close to 1000 Cameroonians were flown home from the neighbouring Equatorial Guinea.
The government is yet to make an official release on the plight of the many Cameroonians stuck in the Ghanaian saga.
Sa'ah Siona Ikei, The Post Newspaper
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