A further three Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Ghana have been rescued and returned to Nigeria, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
The Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, received the girls at the commission’s Lagos office on Thursday before they were handed over to Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Ms. Dabiri-Erewa stated that human trafficking would persist unless those responsible are exposed and held accountable.
She thanked Chief Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana Board of Trustees, for his consistent efforts in combating trafficking by working with Ghanaian security agencies. She also acknowledged the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana for providing consular support and Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, for assisting with transportation.
Ms. Dabiri-Erewa noted that while NAPTIP has been active in rescuing victims and arresting traffickers, human trafficking is increasing globally, partly because people are reluctant to identify and shame those involved in what she termed “modern-day slavery.”
In recent months, over 169 Nigerians have been repatriated from Ghana.
The latest returnees, identified as Divine, Favour, and Bright, aged between 17 and 19 and from Bayelsa and Ebonyi states, reported that their aunts had lured them into the sex trade in Ghana under the false pretense of securing them jobs.
In line with established procedures, NiDCOM handed the rescued girls over to NAPTIP for proper profiling and reintegration into society.
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