Lagos: June 15, 2024
Nine teenage Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana have arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, following a visit by the Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and representatives of the Senator Hope Uzodinma, Imo State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chyna Amara Iwuanyanwu (Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House) and Imo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Nkechinyere Ugwu.
The girls, who arrived about 9:55pm, were profiled and handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP).
Hon. Dabiri-Erewa confirmed that the rescued girls have been handed over to NAPTIP and to their respective states for rehabilitation and counseling. This is as the alleged trafficker has been arrested and charged to court in Ghana.
Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, according to a statement by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of NIDCOM, emphasized the need for a permanent solution to eradicate human trafficking in Nigeria, adding, “we must declare war against human traffickers.”
She urged parents to always question the whereabouts of their children when taken away by relatives or friends, and encouraged collective efforts to ensure that traffickers are identified and arrested.
She also thanked the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Adeoye Ifedayo, Eze Igbo Ghana, Chukwudi Ihenetu,
Chief Callistus Elozieuwa, Chairman BOT, Ghana, and the NIDO Team in Ghana.
She also commended the Imo State Governor for dispatching a high-powered delegation to attend the case of the girls.