The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has received 13 victims of human trafficking—12 girls and a five-year-old boy—who were recently rescued from Ghana and Mali.
In a statement released on Sunday by the Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NiDCOM disclosed that 11 of the victims were rescued from Ghana, while two women were repatriated from Mali.
The rescued girls from Ghana, aged between 16 and 30, hail from Cross River (4), Benue (4), Imo (1), and Oyo (1) States. The two women brought back from Mali, aged 27 and 35, are from Adamawa State.
Mr. Dipo Odebowale, Head of NiDCOM’s Lagos Liaison Office, speaking on behalf of NiDCOM Chairperson Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the victims had been lured with false promises of job opportunities but were ultimately forced into prostitution in Ghana.
The two women rescued from Mali also shared their experiences with NiDCOM’s media team, recounting harrowing incidents of sexual exploitation, physical abuse, and emotional trauma.
Dabiri-Erewa assured that NiDCOM would collaborate with the victims’ respective state governments to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. She also emphasized the need to prosecute and publicly expose traffickers to effectively combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
The victims have since been transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling and further support services.
