Nigerian officials have rescued at least ten Nigerian teenage girls, aged 15 to 16, from human trafficking and prostitution.
The girls were allegedly lured to Ghana with the promise of a better life, but were ultimately coerced into prostitution.
Three of the victims share the same parents.
The suspect, a Nigerian male, was detained and is currently in police custody.
According to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the girls were rescued following a tip-off from NIDO, the umbrella body for Nigerians living in Ghana.
The victims were alleged to have revealed that they had been beaten, abused, and coerced into unpaid prostitution.
Their phones were apparently taken, and they were unable to communicate with their parents.
Responding to questions, One of the girls said, “They give us out to men, and they don’t give us money; they collect everything.”
Chief Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman of NIDO, has called for help to facilitate the girls’ safe return to Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa urged the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons to take decisive action, calling the situation “very, very heartbreaking.”
