The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced the successful rescue and return of three additional Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Ghana.
In a statement issued by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, the girls—named Divine, Favour, and Bright, aged between 17 and 19—were enticed into prostitution by their aunts, who had misled them with false promises of lucrative jobs in Ghana.
Addressing the issue at NiDCOM’s Lagos office, where the girls were officially received before being transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), NiDCOM Chairperson Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa denounced the ongoing silence surrounding those responsible for trafficking.
“Until we begin to name and shame the perpetrators of this modern-day slavery, human trafficking will not end,” Dabiri-Erewa stated.
She conveyed gratitude to Chief Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NIDO Ghana, for his persistent cooperation with Ghanaian security agencies in rescuing victims. She also praised the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana for providing consular assistance and acknowledged the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, for arranging the girls’ transportation back to Nigeria.
The statement noted that over 169 Nigerians have been brought back from Ghana in recent months, underscoring the persistent danger posed by human trafficking networks.
The rescued girls, hailing from Bayelsa and Ebonyi States, are now under NAPTIP’s care for profiling and rehabilitation.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli