40 Nigerian girls in slave work in Ghana rescued

Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) has reported that it has rescued about 40 Nigerian girls from slave work in Ghana.

The body also announced that other seven Nigerian girls were rescued in Ivory Coast in a similar situation, Nigerian news outlet Leadership reported December 6, 2012.

Briefing the media on the matter, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Executive Secretary of the NAPTIP, said seven of the girls were rescued from Ivory Coast, 40 from Ghana, while three of the suspects were acting slave masters.

The agency explains the operation was necessitated as a result of disturbing reports it received from a variety of sources.

“This operation was necessitated by disturbing reports from a variety of sources including the Nigeria mission in those countries, the media, Nigerians in Diaspora, civil society partners in the countries, the reports were authenticated by an intelligence agency and corroborated   by a civil society organisation working in anti-trafficking in Ghana known as  ‘Operation Mobilisation in Kumasi’. Upon confirmation of the intelligence report, the ES set up an inter-agency committee,” the Leadership quoted Mrs Jedy-Agba as saying.

She said that NAPTIP had commenced preliminary debriefing of the girls, counselling and medical screening before full process of rehabilitation and reintegration back to the society through their respective states of origins.

The three suspected traffickers, according to the agency, are currently being interrogated for possible prosecution.

By Ekow Quandzie