Bekwai Court Remands 44 Over Manso Watreso Brothel Raid
The Bekwai Circuit Court has remanded 44 suspected sex workers and their clients into police custody after their arrest in a police swoop at Watreso, near Manso Adubia in the Ashanti Region.
Presiding judge, His Honour Isaac Apietu, ordered that the suspects be held and reappear before the court on April 24, 2025.
Court proceedings hit a snag when the first five suspects—believed to be Nigerians—told the court they could not speak English, indicating they understood only Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa. The judge subsequently directed the court registrar to secure an interpreter to facilitate the hearing.
The prosecution, led by ASP Lloyd Baidoo Esq., Ashanti South Regional Court Officer and Acting Public Relations Officer, explained that the suspects were picked up during a targeted police operation against illegal brothel activities in the area.
According to the Ashanti South Police Command, the raid was carried out at dawn on April 21, 2025, based on intelligence. It was led by ASP Charles Boadi Kankam, Deputy District Commander, with support from officers from Manso Adubia and Manso Nkwanta.
Police say the exercise followed the earlier arrest of a 28-year-old Nigerian woman, Esther Egbuhama, who is alleged to be operating a brothel in the community.
A total of 31 women and 13 men, comprising both Ghanaians and Nigerians, were arrested from several locations identified as brothels.
Items retrieved during the operation included 88 boxes of UNFPA condoms, 30 smartphones, four keypad phones, and quantities of ORIS cigarettes. Police also seized GH¢35,000, reportedly belonging to one of the suspects believed to be operating a facility known as Mama Gee Lodge.
Authorities say the suspects are assisting with investigations as police intensify efforts to clamp down on prostitution and related illegal activities in the Manso enclave.
