Cameroon’s National Gendarmerie launches investigation into human trafficking
Following a surge in online scam reports and accounts of relatives being kidnapped abroad, Cameroon’s National Gendarmerie’s Central Judicial Research Service initiated a thorough investigation on May 16, 2026. This action forms part of ongoing efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks operating within the country.
These extensive investigations successfully uncovered a large-scale criminal enterprise involved in human trafficking, operating deceptively under the guise of network marketing schemes through entities known as QNET, IGNITE, and UNIMEC. The operation led to the apprehension of 13 individuals, including six key coordinators based in Cameroon and seven active representatives or intermediaries. Furthermore, authorities identified over 600 enrolled victims and located numerous properties serving as logistical hubs and accommodation facilities across major Cameroonian cities such as Douala, Bafoussam, Ebolowa, Kye-Ossi, Bertoua, Ngaoundéré, Maroua, Garoua, and Yaoundé.
Colonel Atangana Fiacre Kisito, the Deputy Central Director for Coordination (DCC-A) and Director of Employment and Structures (DES), revealed that the perpetrators, with masterminds located in Malaysia and active branches throughout West and Central Africa, primarily targeted vulnerable youth, job seekers, students, and aspiring emigrants. Their deceptive tactics included luring victims with attractive overseas job opportunities, educational programs abroad, promises of high financial returns, risk-free guarantees, and aggressive or coercive recruitment strategies.
Upon recruitment, victims were compelled to pay substantial fees and were then confined to properties converted into communal dormitories. Here, they endured a regimen of coercive supervision and relentless pressure. Reports indicate that some individuals from Cameroon’s southern regions were transported through Garoua into Nigeria, while foreign nationals, particularly Chadians, were integrated into local networks operating in Yaoundé’s Awae, Tam-Tam, Mvan, and Nkozoa districts.
Given the widespread nature of this illicit activity, the Deputy Central Director for Coordination (DCC-A) urged the public to exercise heightened vigilance. He specifically cautioned against falling prey to deceptive promises from “dream sellers,” enticing online business opportunities, or appealing proposals from acquaintances.
The ongoing investigation continues with an active search for two additional individuals, who have been positively identified and located in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The apprehended suspects are slated to appear before the Public Prosecutor at the Yaoundé High Court in the coming days.