A 55-year-old Cameroonian resident in Ghana, Cesar Victoire Tsala, has been taken into custody and presented before the Circuit Court, accused of abducting and sexually abusing a 17-year-old Nigerian girl. The suspect allegedly deceived the teenager by promising her a place on a football team.
According to reports, Tsala maintained inappropriate relations with the minor for approximately one year.
Ibrahim Sannie Daara, the Media Officer for CAF, confirmed the arrest in a statement shared on X on Monday, October 20, 2025.
Daara cautioned parents and aspiring young footballers across Africa to remain alert and avoid falling victim to fraudulent offers of paid football academy placements.
This warning came shortly after a tragic incident where a Senegalese youth lost his life in Ghana after being lured with false promises of football academy recruitment.
Investigations reveal that Tsala allegedly transported the Nigerian girl-who was in the midst of her West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE)-under the pretense of securing her a football career, only to exploit her sexually.
Tsala, a trader by profession, faces charges including human trafficking, abduction, and rape, in violation of Ghana’s Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), and the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The complainant, a relative of the victim residing in Ghana, reported the case to authorities.
According to court records, on September 16, 2025, the complainant and the victim approached the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service’s Criminal Investigation Department, reporting that the accused had abducted the girl from Spintex, Accra, while she was sitting for her WASSCE in 2024. The family had been unaware of her whereabouts for a year.
The victim escaped from Tsala on September 12, 2025, and disclosed that she had been forcibly moved to Kasoa in the Central Region and later to East Legon, Accra, where the abuse occurred.
During police interviews, the girl stated she was 16 at the time of her abduction. She explained that Tsala lured her with promises of providing for her needs, teaching her French, and securing a football team placement, but instead confined her and prevented contact with her family.
On September 18, 2025, the victim led law enforcement to East Legon, where Tsala was identified and arrested.
Under questioning, Tsala reportedly admitted to holding the girl against her will for a year and acknowledged awareness of the complainant’s search for her.
Further inquiry revealed that the victim was brought from Nigeria to Ghana in 2019 to live with her aunt (the complainant) in Spintex, Accra, to continue her education.
Tsala, who attended the same church as the victim and her aunt, had gained the girl’s trust by offering support during difficult times.
In 2024, when the complainant traveled to Nigeria, Tsala exploited her absence to convince the victim to live with him.
He allegedly detained her in Spintex for seven months, barring her from returning to her family even after the complainant’s return to Ghana.
Despite knowing the complainant was actively searching for her niece, Tsala moved the victim from Spintex to a guest house in Kasoa for a month, then finally to East Legon, where he sexually abused her.
It was also uncovered that Tsala prevented the victim from completing her WASSCE exams, deceiving her with false promises of football academy recruitment.
Seeking a way out, the victim pretended to be interested in the offer.
On September 12, 2025, she requested permission to return home to retrieve her birth certificate for football registration, using the opportunity to escape and reunite with her family.
0 Comments