Border security operations in northeastern Bénin have yielded significant results. On Tuesday, 16 June 2026, police officers stationed at the Okpara bridge in Kassouala district stopped a group of 24 individuals, among them a young Béninois man suspected of being the smuggler.

The operation took place early in the morning, around 8:30 a.m., during a routine check. Law enforcement officers identified 23 travellers, all Nigerian nationals of Hausa ethnicity. The group was heading toward Burkina Faso.

Taken to the police station for further questioning, the migrants described their journey. They said they had left the town of Tchaki in Nigeria, walked, and spent the night in Boukouro, a Béninois village near the border. According to them, their destination was artisanal gold mining sites in Burkina Faso.

Although checks confirmed that all travellers carried valid identification, police are investigating the circumstances of this trip. Suspicion centres on their escort, a 20-year-old Béninois national. Hailing from Bassila and residing in Parakou, he is believed to have organised this unauthorised movement.

All those apprehended have been transferred to the Tchaourou police station. An investigation is underway to shed light on the matter and determine whether this involves an organised migrant trafficking network.