A Ghanaian court has sentenced 29-year-old Nigerian national Chukwudi Nwachukwu to 10 years in prison for trafficking his younger sister and nine other Nigerian girls to Ghana for prostitution. The victims, aged between 15 and 18, were lured with promises of decent jobs in a restaurant but were forced into sex work upon arrival in Ghana.
According to the investigation, Nwachukwu financed the victims’ journey from Nigeria to Ghana and collaborated with unidentified accomplices who recruited them from various villages across Nigeria. Upon arrival, the girls were kept at his residence in Liberia Camp, near Kasoa, where they were forced to take oaths at a shrine after having their pubic hair cut. Nwachukwu threatened the victims with incurable skin diseases if they disobeyed or tried to escape.
The court also ordered Nwachukwu to pay GH₵15,000 compensation to each of the 10 victims. The judge, Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong, stated that although Nwachukwu was a first-time offender who pleaded for leniency, the gravity of the offense and the growing rate of human trafficking warranted a firm deterrent sentence.
The rescue operation was initiated after Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa, a member of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Ghana, alerted authorities. The Nigerian High Commission in Ghana took custody of the victims and provided them with support, care, and counseling. The victims were identified as natives of Imo and Plateau States.
This case highlights the ongoing issue of human trafficking and the importance of cooperation between governments and organizations to combat it. The Nigerian High Commission in Ghana has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of Nigerian citizens living abroad.
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