A Nigerian trader, Ada Peace, has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for human trafficking and immigration-related offences following a successful prosecution by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
The conviction followed an intelligence-led operation by the GIS, Asankragwa Sector Command, which rescued two victims, aged 21 and 13, from exploitation.
Presenting the facts of the case before the court, Chief Superintendent of Immigration (CSI) John Bernard Otoo said the victims were lured from Nigeria to Ghana under the pretext of being employed as shop attendants.
Instead, he said, they were forced into prostitution while the convict appropriated the proceeds from their activities.
According to the prosecutor, investigations conducted by the GIS Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons (AHSTIP) Section established that the victims were recruited through accomplices in Nigeria and transported into Ghana, where they were received by Ada Peace at a brothel at Adaase near Asankragwa in the Western North Region.
The investigations further revealed that the victims were subjected to spiritual intimidation and compelled to engage in commercial sex work to repay debts amounting to six million Nigerian naira.
The court also heard that Ada Peace and her accomplice, Rejoice Opara, entered Ghana through unapproved routes in July 2024 and had since remained in the country without the requisite permits.
While Ada Peace was charged with four offences, including human trafficking and illegal entry, Opara was fined and discharged by the court.
Commenting on the conviction, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr Samuel Basintale Amadu, condemned human trafficking, sexual exploitation and illegal migration.
He stressed that perpetrators of such crimes would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, warning that the country’s security agencies would not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable persons or breaches of immigration laws.
Mr Amadu reaffirmed the commitment of the GIS to combating human trafficking and related transnational crimes through intelligence gathering, investigations and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
The service also cautioned the public to be vigilant against the activities of traffickers, who often use deceptive tactics, including recruitment through social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, false promises of employment and travel opportunities, and demands for upfront payments by self-styled travel agents.
It urged members of the public to report suspected cases of human trafficking and irregular migration to the appropriate authorities to aid efforts aimed at protecting vulnerable persons and enforcing the country’s immigration laws.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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