13 sex workers arrested in Tamale assigned to clean up the city as punishment

National Security operatives in the Northern Region have arrested thirteen women during an operation targeting prostitution and drug-related activities in Tamale and subsequently making them sweep parts of the city’s central business district as a deterrent.

The women were picked up during a night swoop at locations, including Jubilee Park and the Bank of Ghana stretch, areas security officials describe as emerging hotspots for commercial sex work.

According to a report by myjoyonline.com on January 21, 2026, the Northern Regional Security Liaison Officer, RSM Adam Mohammed, said the decision to involve the suspects in a clean-up exercise was intended both as a cautionary measure and to support sanitation efforts in the metropolis.

He noted that prostitution has been on the rise in Tamale, attracting both Ghanaian and foreign nationals, prompting National Security to intensify operations against the practice, alongside drug trafficking.

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“We carried out a swoop on night workers, and they were highly profiled and handed over to the authorities. Our city or municipality has been engulfed with so much dirt and trash.

“So, we thought it would be wise to direct them so that they could aid in the clean-up exercise of our cities. For that matter, we gave them brooms and other logistics to help us in the clean-up exercise,” he said.

RSM Mohammed added that some of the women welcomed the exercise and expressed remorse, with a number of them indicating their willingness to desist from such activities.

“On record, I think they were about 13 of them. Aside from that, we’ve carried out operations on drug peddlers,” he said, adding that the suspects were later handed over to the appropriate authorities.

He reaffirmed the National Security’s commitment to enforcing the law without favoritism, stressing that anyone found to have broken the law would face the full rigours of the law.

MRA/AE

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