The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has disclosed that nine Nigerian teenage girls allegedly trafficked to Ghana for prostitution have arrived in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Chairman of the Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the disclosure in a statement made available by the commission’s Media, Public Relations, and Protocols Unit, Gabriel Odu, on Saturday.
Dabiri-Erewa said the girls who were rescued in Ghana arrived in Lagos on Friday.
According to her, the girls, who are mainly from Imo State, were accompanied by representatives of the Imo State government.
The NIDCOM Chairman added that they were received and profiled by officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
According to the report, the girls, all under the age of 18, were lured from Nigeria to Ghana by a nameless man who has now been arrested by the police in Ghana.
According to the NIDCOM boss, the girls were rescued by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), an umbrella association for Nigerians living in Ghana.
Recall that in a viral video that 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 to do.
“They are helpless. They picked them and sent them to do prostitution, and they would be collecting money from these innocent children.”
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.
In an earlier post on X last week, the NIDCOM boss 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.”
