The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), in collaboration with various stakeholders, has successfully repatriated another set of 13 trafficked girls from Ghana, bringing the total number of rescued victims to 163 within the past five months.
This operation was carried out through joint efforts involving the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police, the Rescue Live Foundation International, and NIDO Ghana, all working alongside NiDCOM.
Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed gratitude to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, for their unwavering support in ensuring the safe return of the victims.
She also commended the significant roles played by Chief Callistus Elozieuwa, the BoT Chairman of Rescue Live Foundation International/NIDO Ghana, and the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police in apprehending the traffickers.
Dabiri-Erewa reiterated NiDCOM’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of Nigerians abroad under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises combating human trafficking.
According to a statement by NiDCOM’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the rescued victims, aged between 19 and 30, hail from Ebonyi, Benue, Kaduna, and Rivers states. They were reportedly lured to Ghana with false promises of employment but were instead subjected to exploitation under an oath of secrecy.
A NiDCOM representative, Akinboye Akinsola, who accompanied the girls back to Nigeria, noted that they willingly sought help after hearing about earlier rescue operations.
Upon arrival, the girls were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for rehabilitation.