NiDCOM receives 13 Nigerian trafficked girls from Ghana, Mali

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has received another set of 13 Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Ghana and Mali for prostitution.

The Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit at NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, disclosed this in a statement on posted on the commission’s X page on Monday.

He said the victims who compromised 12 girls and a five-year-old boy, were received by NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Balogun said the girls claimed that they were tricked and forced into prostitution by some persons who promised to help them to get jobs in Ghana and Mali respectively.

He added that the victims also narrated how they were sexually abused, physically assaulted and emotionally traumatised by their traffickers both in Ghana and Mali.

The statement read:

“Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), received another set of 12 trafficked girls and a boy of five years old rescued from Ghana and Mali were from Adamawa state.

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“Receiving the latest evacuees from Ghana on behalf of Hon. Dabiri-Erewa, the Head of Lagos liason office, Mr Dipo Odebowale said the girls claimed they were tricked and forced into prostitution under the guise of helping them to get jobs in Ghana.

“Similar reason was adduced by those rescued from Mali to Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media and Public Relations of the Commission who received them on behalf of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Lagos.

“The victims also narrated how they were sexually abused, physically assaulted and emotionally traumatised by their traffickers both in Ghana and Mali.

“Dabiri-Erewa assured the girls that NIDCOM would continue to give the logistics and ensure that they are reunited with their families and also work with their respective state Governors to rehabilitate the girls.

“She also called for the crackdown on the human traffickers and agents through naming and shaming them after necessary prosecution to curtail the modern day slavery.

“The girls were later taken to NAPTIP by NIDCOM for necessary profiling and documentation.”

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