By Admin
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has received a fresh batch of 12 trafficked girls and one child, a five-year-old boy, who were recently rescued from human traffickers in Ghana and Mali.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the victims, aged between 16 and 35, were handed over to the Commission at its Lagos liaison office.
While ten of them, mostly from Cross River, Benue, Imo, and Oyo States, were rescued from Ghana, two women from Adamawa State were brought back from Mali.
Speaking on behalf of NiDCOM Chairman/CEO Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Head of the Lagos office, Mr. Dipo Odebowale, stated that the victims from Ghana were lured under false pretenses of job opportunities, only to be forced into prostitution.
Similar accounts were shared by the two returnees from Mali, who were received by Balogun himself.
The victims recounted harrowing experiences, including sexual exploitation, physical abuse, and emotional trauma at the hands of their traffickers.
Dabiri-Erewa, in her response, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to ensuring the victims are safely reunited with their families and rehabilitated in collaboration with their respective state governments.
She also stressed the urgent need for a nationwide crackdown on traffickers, advocating the public naming and shaming of convicted offenders.
The rescued individuals had been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for proper profiling and further support.
