Three Nigerian girls aged between 17 and 19 have been rescued from a human trafficking syndicate in Ghana and repatriated to Nigeria.
A statement issued by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed the development, identifying the victims as Divine, Favour, and Bright, from Bayelsa and Ebonyi states. They were reportedly deceived by their aunts with false promises of jobs in Ghana but were forced into prostitution on arrival.
Their rescue was carried out through a joint effort involving NiDCOM, the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police Unit, the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana, and the Nigerian High Commission in Accra.
The girls were received at NiDCOM’s Lagos office before being transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed concern over the failure to expose those behind such crimes publicly. “Until we begin to name and shame the perpetrators of this modern-day slavery, human trafficking will not end,” she said.
She commended NIDO Ghana’s Board Chairman, Callistus Elozieuwa, for supporting the rescue and the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who facilitated the girls’ safe return.
This rescue adds to a series of recent operations. Over 169 Nigerians have been repatriated from Ghana in the past few months, many of them victims of trafficking. In separate operations, 17 girls were rescued in October and another 13 in November. Most of the victims were tricked with fake job offers and ended up in exploitative conditions. Several suspects have been arrested, while survivors are being offered shelter and psychological support.
Dabiri-Erewa reiterated NiDCOM’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. She said the trafficking networks remain active, but so does the resolve to dismantle them.
The rescued girls are now in the custody of NAPTIP, where they will receive rehabilitation and support as authorities continue efforts to identify and prosecute those behind the crime.
