Three Nigerian teenage girls trafficked to Ghana have been rescued and safely returned to the country, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed on Friday.
In a statement signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, the agency revealed that the victims, Divine, Favour, and Bright, aged between 17 and 19, were deceived by their aunts with promises of employment, only to be forced into prostitution.
The girls were officially received at the NiDCOM office in Lagos on Thursday and subsequently handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling and rehabilitation.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, who addressed the media during the reception, lamented the continued silence surrounding human traffickers and called for a more aggressive stance.
“Until we begin to name and shame the perpetrators of this modern-day slavery, human trafficking will not end,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa also commended Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana, for working closely with Ghanaian security agencies to rescue victims.
She acknowledged the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana for its consular support and praised Oluremi Tinubu, First Lady, for facilitating the girls’ return home.
The commission disclosed that more than 169 Nigerians have been repatriated from Ghana in recent months, underscoring the persistent threat posed by human trafficking networks.
The rescued girls, originally from Bayelsa and Ebonyi States, are now in the custody of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), where they will receive further support and rehabilitation.
