13 NIGERIAN GIRLS TRAFFICKED TO GHANA HAVE BEEN RESCUED AND SAFELY RETURNED TO NIGERIA 15-11-24
By Sadiq Aminu Another group of 13 Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana has been rescued and safely returned to Nigeria.
This brings the total number of trafficked Nigerians repatriated from Ghana in the past five months to 163.
The latest group of 13 girls arrived in Nigeria over the weekend through the collaborative efforts of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police, Rescue Live Foundation International, and NIDO Ghana.
The Chairman of NiDCOM, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed her gratitude to Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, for their support in ensuring the girls’ safe return.
She also commended the dedication of Chief Callistus Elozieuwa of Rescue Live Foundation International and the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police in helping to bring the traffickers to justice.
A statement by NiDCOM’s Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the 13 girls are between the ages of 19 and 30 and hail from Ebonyi, Benue, Kaduna, and Rivers states.
According to him, they had been lured to Ghana under false promises of employment but were instead forced into exploitative situations, bound by oaths of secrecy, while traffickers profited from their ordeal.
NiDCOM’s representative, Mr. Akinboye Akinsola, accompanied the ladies back to Nigeria. They were then handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for rehabilitation and reintegration.
Akinsola noted that this group willingly surrendered themselves after learning about previous rescue operations.
Chief Callistus Elozieuwa stated that Rescue Live Foundation International and NIDO Ghana provided temporary shelter for the girls once they indicated their willingness to return home.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. Valentine Okike Uzo, acknowledged Governor Nwifuru’s commitment to supporting the girls, aligning with his pledge to care for Ebonyi citizens at home and abroad.
The statement reiterated NiDCOM’s dedication to protecting Nigerians abroad, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes combating human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of Nigerian citizens.