Tema’s Regional Immigration Command frustrates human trafficking agreement

General news for Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-11-18

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) Regional Issue Command arrested a Nigerian woman at the center of a trafficking agreement that seeks to bring Nigerian girls to Ghana for prostitution.

The Nigerian suspect, Favor CHIDI, 20, who claims to be a prostitute, was arrested by the Tema Regional Immigration Command for trying to smuggle two women to Ghana on the pretext that she would get them a job.

This was made known to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday 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 high school education, were rescued before being transported to the North Western Region.

Ms. Chidi was arrested based on intelligence received by the Command indicating that, through an agent in Nigeria, she lured and recruited two women for her prostitution business in Ghana.

During preliminary investigations it was learned that four women were recruited in Nigeria and promised that they would be offered lucrative jobs as vendors in Ghana, but that they would be distributed to some unknown boss prostitutes, precisely in Enchi, in the north western region of Ghana. .

Unfortunately, when the immigration officers arrived at the pickup location, two of the women had already been removed by accomplices and taken to an unknown destination.

Further investigation revealed that Ms Chidi was once a victim who was brought to Ghana to work for a woman as a prostitute in Enchi, and after serving for four months and paying all expenses she incurred as part of her contract for recruitment, she was released. .

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

At the time of this report, both the suspect and the victims had been referred to the SIG Headquarters for further investigations and prosecution.

Ghana Immigration Service Regional Issue Commander, Deputy Immigration Commissioner (ACI) Kojo Oppong Yeboah warned that “Human trafficking is malignant, dehumanizing and illegal in Ghana and offenders are subject to a summary sentence of no less five years in prison.

“In addition to the jail sentence, property acquired with the proceeds of human trafficking will be confiscated and auctioned to fund anti-trafficking programs.”

ACI Yeboah stated that it was the duty of every Ghanaian to report all matters related to human trafficking to the security agencies so that appropriate measures are taken to eradicate the threat from Ghanaian society.

The Regional Commander warned parents to be especially interested in the well-being of their daughters and to be aware of the activities of the agents who came to them with promises to take their children abroad to improve their lives.

ACI Yeboah also recommended that young women not be fooled by unscrupulous people into traveling in search of non-existent jobs abroad, “but continue their education at the highest level or learn a trade, because applying for prostitution is illegal and also carries many health risks. “