Lagos, Nigeria – Three Nigerian teenage girls who were trafficked to Ghana under false promises of employment have been rescued and safely returned to Nigeria, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed on Friday.
In a statement released by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NiDCOM’s Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols, the agency identified the victims as Divine, Favour, and Bright, aged between 17 and 19. The girls were reportedly deceived by their aunts with the lure of jobs, only to be forced into prostitution upon arrival in Ghana.
The rescued teenagers were officially received at the NiDCOM office in Lagos on Thursday. Subsequently, they were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for comprehensive profiling and rehabilitation.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, addressed the media during the reception, expressing her deep concern over the persistent issue of human trafficking and the lack of accountability for perpetrators. “Until we begin to name and shame the perpetrators of this modern-day slavery, human trafficking will not end,” she asserted.
Dabiri-Erewa commended Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana, for his crucial collaboration with Ghanaian security agencies in securing the girls’ release. She also acknowledged the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana for providing essential consular support and praised Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for her role in facilitating the girls’ safe return home.
NiDCOM revealed that this recent rescue brings the total number of Nigerians repatriated from Ghana due to trafficking in recent months to over 169, highlighting the ongoing and significant threat posed by these criminal networks.
The rescued girls, who hail from Bayelsa and Ebonyi States, are now under the care of NAPTIP, where they will receive the necessary support and rehabilitation services to aid their recovery.
