The Tema Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has busted a Nigerian woman at the centre of a trafficking deal which purports to bring in Nigerian girls to Ghana for prostitution.

The Nigerian suspect, 20-year-old Favour Chidi, who claims to be a prostitute herself, was apprehended by the Tema Regional Immigration Command for attempting to traffic two females to Ghana under the pretext that she would get them a job.

This was contained in a press release issued by the Tema Regional Immigration Command and signed by the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO), Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Mercy Budu.

The victims, a 20-year-old fashion designer and a 19-year-old girl, who had just completed her secondary education, were both rescued before they were transported to the Western North Region.

The suspect was picked up based on intelligence received by the Command indicating that she had, through an agent in Nigeria, lured and recruited two ladies for her prostitution business in Ghana.

It was gathered during preliminary investigations that four ladies were recruited in Nigeria and promised to be offered lucrative jobs as sales girls in Ghana, but were to be distributed to some unknown female prostitute kingpins, precisely in Enchi in the Western North Region of Ghana.

Unfortunately, upon arrival of immigration officers at the pickup location, two of the ladies had already been removed by accomplices and relocated to an unknown destination.

Further investigation revealed that Chidi was once a victim who was brought to Ghana to work for a woman as a prostitute at Enchi, and after serving for four months and paying all expenses incurred on her as part of her recruitment deal, was set free.

She then started her own prostitution business and that was when she requested for the ladies to be sent to her from Nigeria to work for her as prostitutes.

As at the time of filing of this report, the suspect and the victims had all been referred to the Headquarters of the GIS for further investigations and prosecution.  

The Tema Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Kojo Oppong Yeboah cautioned that “human trafficking is evil, dehumanising and illegal in Ghana and offenders are liable to a summary conviction of not less than five years imprisonment.

“In addition to the jail term, properties acquired from proceeds of human trafficking will be confiscated and auctioned to fund anti-human trafficking programmes.”

ACI Yeboah affirmed that it was the duty of every Ghanaian to report all matters relating to human trafficking to the security agencies for appropriate action to be taken in order to eradicate the menace from the Ghanaian society.

The Regional Commander cautioned parents to take particular interest in the welfare of their female children and be aware of the activities of agents who came to them with promises of taking their children abroad to better their lives.

ACI Yeboah also advised young ladies not to be tricked by unscrupulous persons to journey for non-existing jobs abroad, “But pursue their education to the highest level or learn a trade, because soliciting for prostitution is illegal and it also comes with a lot of health risks.”