How a chief died out of shock from a wrongful child trafficking operation by US-based organisation.

In one of their most recent pieces, “The Night They Came for Our Children,” the BBC Africa Eye team described how a chief passed away from shock following what was ultimately determined to have been a false positive for child trafficking by a reputable US-based anti-trafficking organization. The lead journalist on the case, Kyenkyenhene Boateng, focused on the work that the International Justice Mission (IJM) carries out specifically in Ghana and followed the trails in this extensive case until he found himself in what appears to be a little community somewhere in the northern sections of Ghana. The journalist at Mogyigna sat down with the residents of the little town and listened as each person shared their memories of the tragedy that happened on September 6, 2022, just after midnight, when a group of armed men quickly entered the area and abducted four children from their families. Fatima, an 11-year-old girl, was also taken away from her house, from where she was with her grandparents, in an unjustified incident that shocked many and ultimately resulted in her grandfather’s death. According to the investigations, Fatima’s grandfather went into medical shock and never came out of it because he was so stunned by what had happened and worried about what would happen to his small granddaughter. Shei Shei, a community member, told BBC Africa Eye that the armed men broke into the bedroom of Fatima’s grandfather, who was also one of their chiefs, supporting this and discussing the effects of this act of injustice on their community. But the most tragic aspect of this tale is that a local chief perished as a result of the incident. The chief’s wife and grandchildren suddenly barged into his room as he was in it. “The chief was shocked when they abducted his grandkids. He passed away after a while. He responded, “His grave is in that house. Fatima, like her concerned grandma back at her home in Mogyigna, wondered what had happened to either of them after spending four months separated from her family and housed in a shelter. The crew from IJM did not fire a single shot, but they certainly left a lot of ruckus in their wake, according to the neighborhood residents who spoke with the investigators. “They didn’t fire their firearms as they entered the neighborhood, but they made a lot of noise. One of the males, Musah Dokurugu, claimed that they forcedfully removed the children from the home and the other house nearby. Another community member, Musah Mustapha, also told about how the practice of neighborhood kids joyfully running after passing cars had become into a nightmare for them. The kids used to pursue cars as they came by to see what was going on in the past. However, now that an automobile has arrived, no child approaches it, he said. Over the past two years, the US-based nonprofit International Justice Mission (IJM) has received almost $100 million (£78 million) in funding yearly, making it one of the top anti-trafficking organizations in the world. Nearly 300 churches in the UK are said to support IJM, and IJM UK raised more than £220,000 ($280,000) from churches and other contributors last year (2022) to fund activities in Ghana.