The 10 Nigerian teenage girls allegedly trafficked to Ghana for prostitution have returned to Nigeria, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has disclosed.
The Chairman of the Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who made the disclosure in a post on her X handle, said the girls who were rescued in Ghana arrived Lagos at about 9:55 pm on Friday.
According to her, the girls who are mainly from Imo State were accompanied by representatives of Imo State government.
The NIDCOM Chairman added that the girls were handed over to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and their respective states for rehabilitation and counseling.
She stated that the trafficker has been arrested and charged to court in Ghana.
Dabiri-Erewa, emphasized the need for a permanent solution to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria, adding, “We must declare a war against human traffickers.”
She urged parents to always question the whereabouts of their children when taken away by relatives or friends and encouraged collective efforts to ensure traffickers are identified and arrested.
She thanked the Acting Nigerian Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Adeoye Ifedayo, Eze Igbo Ghana, Chukwudi Ihenetu, Chief Callistus, Chairman BOT, Ghana, and the Nido Team.
She also commended the Imo State Governor for dispatching a high powered delegation immediately.
The girls, all under the age of 18, were reportedly lured from Nigeria to Ghana by a nameless man who has now been arrested by the police in neighbouring West African country.
According to the NIDCOM boss, the girls were rescued by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), an umbrella association for Nigerians living in Ghana.
In a viral video which showed the girls after they were rescued, a NIDO official was heard saying, “We just rescued all these ones from one single person, innocent Nigerian children that were brought here to do what they wouldn’t have wished do to.
“They are helpless. They picked them and send them to do prostitution and they would be collecting money from these innocent children.”
The NIDCOM boss had in an earlier post on X last week described the development as heartbreaking and asked the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to take over the matter.
“These are young girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution,” she quoted a viral video showing the girls. “We thank Chief Callistus, Chairman, NIDO Ghana, for ensuring the arrest of the evil perpetrator. I am sure NAPTIP will follow up, very heartbreaking.”
Dabiri-Erewa had earlier visited the girls who were trafficked to Ghana under the guise of “sales girls” in Ghana.