By Folorunso Alagbede, in Abuja
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has received another set of 12 trafficked girls and a boy of five years old rescued from Ghana and Mali respectively.
Those received from Ghana at NIDCOM Liason office in Lagos have their ages ranging between 16 to 30 years while the two from Mali aged 27 and 35 years respectively.
Details of those received from Ghana, according to a statement from Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit NiDCOM, Abuja, were as dollows: Cross River State 4; Benue State 4; and one each from Imo and Oyo States while the two rescued from Mali were from Adamawa state.
Receiving the latest evacuees from Ghana on behalf of Hon. Dabiri-Erewa, the Head of Lagos liason office, Mr Dipo Odebowale said the girls claimed they were tricked and forced into prostitution under the guise of helping them to get jobs in Ghana.
Similar reason was adduced by those rescued from Mali to Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media and Public Relations of the Commission who received them on behalf of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Lagos.
The victims also narrated how they were sexually abused, physically assaulted and emotionally traumatised by their traffickers both in Ghana and Mali.
Dabiri-Erewa assured the girls that NIDCOM would continue to give the logistics and ensure that they are reunited with their families and also work with their respective state Governors to rehabilitate the girls.
She also called for the crackdown on the human traffickers and agents through naming and shaming them after necessary prosecution to curtail the modern day slavery.
The girls were later taken to NAPTIP by NIDCOM for necessary profiling and documentation.
