THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has received 13 Nigerians — 12 young women and a five-year-old boy — who were trafficked to Ghana and Mali under false promises of employment.
According to a statement issued yesterday by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocol at NiDCOM, the victims were welcomed by the commission’s chairperson, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
The girls reportedly told officials that they were deceived by traffickers who lured them with the promise of jobs abroad but instead forced them into prostitution.
They also recounted experiencing severe sexual abuse, physical violence, and emotional trauma during their time in captivity.
Speaking to the victims, Hon. Dabiri-Erewa reassured them of NiDCOM’s continued support in reuniting them with their families and facilitating their rehabilitation in collaboration with the governors of their respective states.
She also emphasized the urgent need to crack down on human traffickers, calling for a strong judicial process that would expose, prosecute, and shame those involved in modern-day slavery.
The rescued individuals were subsequently handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling and further documentation.