From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Three Nigerian girls, aged between 17 and 19, have been rescued from a human trafficking ring in Ghana and repatriated to Nigeria, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed in a statement.
According to a statement issued by Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the girls, identified as Divine, Favour, and Bright, hail from Bayelsa and Ebonyi states and were deceived by their aunts with promises of gainful employment, only to be forced into prostitution upon arrival in Ghana.
The girls were received at NiDCOM’s Lagos office before being handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
The Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, decried the persistent silence around the identities of traffickers, stating: “Until we begin to name and shame the perpetrators of this modern-day slavery, human trafficking will not end.”
She commended the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, NIDO Ghana, Callistus Elozieuwa, for his ongoing collaboration with Ghanaian security agencies, as well as the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for their support in facilitating the girls’ safe return.