Dabiri-Erewa visits Nigerian girls stranded in Ghana

Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has condemned human trafficking after intervening in the rescue of 10 Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution under the guise of being “sellers”.

This is contained in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu of the NiDCOM Public Relations Department on Monday.

The girls, eight from Imo State and two from Plateau State, were released following the arrest of the suspect, who is currently in police custody.

In a series of videos that went viral on Twitter on Friday, the girls, aged between 15 and 18, were allegedly lured into prostitution in Ghana.

The rescue of the 10 trafficked Nigerian teenagers was reportedly carried out by Nigerians from the diaspora organization in Ghana.

During his visit to Ghana, Dabiri-Erewa met with the rescued girls and commended the efforts of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization in Ghana, Chief Calistus Elozieuwa, and his team.

The rescue operation was carried out with the cooperation of various stakeholders including representatives of the Imo State Government, the Eze Igbo of Ghana and the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Amb. Adeoye Ifedayo, notes the press release.

Dabiri-Erewa stressed the need for a permanent solution to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria, saying: “We must declare war on human traffickers.”

She urged parents to monitor the whereabouts of their children and encouraged collective efforts to ensure traffickers are identified and prosecuted.

The rescued girls will be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for counseling and rehabilitation before being sent back to their respective states.

Ifedayo commended NIDO in Ghana for its swift action and stressed the importance of ending human trafficking.

The Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Amara Iwuanyanwu, and the Imo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Nkechinyere Ugwu, have reiterated their government’s commitment to welfare girls saved.

The Plateau State Government has also pledged to fully support the rehabilitation of girls.

The delegation held discussions with senior Ghanaian police officials, who assured their cooperation in the fight against human trafficking.