Eight young Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Ghana have been rescued and handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
A statement by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said the girls are aged between 15 and 22.
“The rescued girls, aged between 15 and 22, hail from various states across Nigeria, including Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Plateau, and Cross River, were lured to Ghana under false promises of employment but were forced into sexual exploitation,” he said.
Their handover is to ensure they are safe pending rehabilitation and reintegration with their families.
According to him, the NiDCOM Chairman/CEO Abike Dabiri-Erewa had received the ladies at the agency’s Annex Office in Lagos and thanked the First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for her support in facilitating the return of the girls.
The NiDCOM boss also thanked the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana Chapter Callistus Elozieuwa, the Nigerian embassy in Ghana, and the Interpol Units of Nigeria and Ghana for their roles in facilitating the girls’ return.
She noted that there are still many more trafficked victims waiting to be rescued and thanked the Ghanaian security agencies for their cooperation.
One of the traffickers, a 28-year-old Nigerian, Favour Ugwu, has been arrested and jailed for eight years by a Ghanaian court in Ghana, the statement added.
