The Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah, has remanded a 55-year-old Cameroonian national, Cesar Victoire Tsala, into police custody for allegedly kidnapping and sexually exploiting a female minor.
Tsala has been charged with two main offences – human trafficking, in violation of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694) as amended, and abduction of an unmarried female under 18, contrary to Section 91 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to reappear before the court on October 13, 2025.
Facts of the Case
According to the prosecution, the victim (name withheld) was living with her aunt, Princess Anyamah (the complainant), at Spintex in Accra.
The complainant visited the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on September 16, 2025, to report that the victim had been abducted in 2024 while sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and had been missing for a year.
The victim later returned home on September 12, 2025, after allegedly escaping from the accused.
She reported to the police that she had been forcibly taken from Spintex to Kasoa and later to East Legon, where she was exploited by Tsala.
Police investigations revealed that the victim was 16 years old at the time of the alleged abduction.
The accused, who is said to be a member of the same church as the victim and her guardian, allegedly lured the girl under the pretense of helping her with basic needs, teaching her French, and assisting her in joining a football team.
Allegations of Exploitation
The accused reportedly housed the victim for seven months at Spintex without informing her guardian, even after the guardian returned from a trip to Nigeria and actively searched for the girl.
Tsala later relocated the victim to a guesthouse at Kasoa for one month before moving with her to East Legon.
Investigations further indicate that the accused prevented the victim from completing her WASSCE exams and misled her with false promises of enrolling her in a football academy.
Exploiting her desire to escape, the victim requested to return home to retrieve her birth certificate for documentation purposes. That request provided an opportunity for her to flee and reunite with her guardian.
On September 18, 2025, the victim led police officers to East Legon, where she identified the accused. Tsala was subsequently arrested and, during interrogation, admitted to keeping the girl in his custody without the knowledge or consent of her guardian.
Background
The victim was reportedly brought to Ghana in 2019 from Nigeria to live with her aunt for educational purposes.
Tsala, a trader by profession, allegedly used his church relationship with the family to gain the victim’s trust.
Following police investigations, Tsala was formally charged and arraigned before the Circuit Court.
