Securities operatives have rescued at least 10 teenage Nigerian girls around the ages of 15 and 16 after they were trafficked to neighbouring Ghana for prostitution.
In a now-viral video, the young girls claimed that they were lured into Ghana by a man who happened to be a brother to one of them, and he ended up using them as “money-making machines.”
They alleged further that all the money they were making from prostitution had been taken away from them by their traffickers.
Some of the girls claimed they hail from Imo State, while others said they are from Plateau State.
When contacted, the spokesman of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Vincent Adekoye, for comment, said the agency was aware of the situation.
He promised that the agency had started an investigation into the matter and would respond to all the demands made by the girls in the video.
He wrote: “The Agency has commenced full-scale investigations following the directive of the DG to ascertain the location of victims, any contact number, and other details that will aid our swift intervention towards rescuing them. The agency has also opened discussions with relevant partners in Ghana on the matter.
“NAPTIP is seriously disturbed by the video and shall do everything within its mandate to respond to their demands and also bring their traffickers to justice. It solicits useful information from all stakeholders on the matter.”
The Chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also confirmed the development in a video posted on her verified X, formerly Twitter.
She said, “These are young girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. We thank Chief Callistus, Chairman, Nido Ghana, for ensuring the arrest of the evil perpetrator. I am sure @naptipnigeria will follow up. Very, very heartbreaking.”
These are young girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution . We thank Chief Callistus, Chairman, Nido Ghana for ensuring the arrest of the evil perpetrator. I am sure @naptipnigeria will follow up,Very , very heartbreaking pic.twitter.com/zgkPCcGFx6
— abikedabiri (@abikedabiri) June 7, 2024
This comes nearly a month after the Edo Zonal command of NAPTIP arrested a fake Reverend sister over the alleged trafficking of 38 children in Delta State.
The suspect, Ikejimba Maryvianney (alias Oluchi), 40 years old, and one Chidera, now at large, came to meet the parents and persuaded them to allow their children to follow them to their orphanage homes and that they would be given better care.
The children, it was learned, were handed over to the suspects by their parents at a farm community in Enugu-Awka camp by Monastery Ilah, Delta State.
Maryvianney was reportedly arrested by the NAPTIP following a tip-off.
When contacted, the NAPTIP zonal commander in Benin, Nduka Nwanwenne, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect was in custody.
He said the suspect claimed to have been trained in Ghana as a reverend sister while their headquarters were in the Philippines.
