NiDCOM Rescues 17 Nigerian Women Trafficked to Ghana

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced the rescue and repatriation of 17 Nigerian women who were trafficked to Ghana.

This operation, carried out in collaboration with the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police, the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana, and the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, resulted in the arrest of five suspects, according to NiDCOM spokesperson Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

This recent rescue brings the total number of Nigerian women repatriated from Ghana since July 2024 to 130.

The women, aged 18 to 29 and from Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Edo, and Ebonyi states, were reportedly lured to Ghana with false promises of employment. Once there, they were exploited and coerced into secrecy through oaths.

Akinboye Akinsola, a NiDCOM representative, accompanied the rescued women back to Nigeria, where they were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for rehabilitation and reintegration.

Williams Ayaregah, director of the Ghana Police Service’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, emphasized that “Ghana is no longer a safe haven” for traffickers, warning that swift action will be taken against human trafficking networks.

NiDCOM chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa expressed gratitude to Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for her support in the repatriation efforts and praised the work of the Ghanaian authorities and NIDO Ghana.

Dabiri-Erewa reaffirmed NiDCOM’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

In addition to the women, two young men were also repatriated, including one who had been detained in a Ghanaian prison. With the assistance of NIDO Ghana, he has since undergone rehabilitation and has been reunited with his family in Anambra State.