Nigerian jailed 10 years for trafficking 10 girls, including sister, to Ghana for prostitution

The Achimota Circuit Court has sentenced Chukwudi Nwachukwu, a 29-year-old Nigerian national, to 10 years’ imprisonment for trafficking 10 girls from Nigeria to Ghana for prostitution.

The victims, aged between 15 and 18 years, included Nwachukwu’s younger sister. They were reportedly lured to Ghana with promises of decent jobs but were forced into prostitution upon arrival.

According to the prosecution, the girls were compelled to pay GHC300 daily to Nwachukwu after engaging in sex work at Odorkor, a suburb of Accra.

Presiding Judge Mrs Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong found Nwachukwu guilty on two counts of human trafficking and sentenced him to 10 years in prison on each count, to run concurrently. The court further ordered him to pay GHC15,000 compensation to each of the 10 victims.

While acknowledging that Nwachukwu was a first-time offender who had pleaded for leniency, the court stressed that the rising cases of human trafficking warranted a strong deterrent sentence.

The prosecution, led by ASP Isaac Babayi, told the court that the case began after Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa, a member of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Ghana, led a team that arrested Nwachukwu and rescued the victims.

On June 7, 2024, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the CID Headquarters received a report from the Nmai Dzorn Police Station that Chief Eloziepuwa and his team had apprehended the suspect and rescued the girls.

Investigations revealed that Nwachukwu financed the victims’ transportation from Nigeria to Ghana and exploited them through prostitution. He was aided by recruitment agents in Nigeria who lured the girls from various villages.

Upon their arrival, Nwachukwu kept the victims at his residence at Liberia Camp near Kasoa, where he allegedly took their pubic hair and forced them to swear before a shrine. They were threatened with incurable skin diseases if they attempted to flee or withheld their earnings.

He later gave them waist beads from the shrine and transported them to Odorkor, where they were forced to engage in prostitution. Nwachukwu recorded their daily earnings in an exercise book.

The victims were eventually rescued by the AHTU, with support from Challenging Heights, a local anti-trafficking NGO.

DSP William Ayaregah, Director of the AHTU, said the conviction was a victory for justice.

“Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. Ghana is not a safe haven for criminals, wherever you are, we will come after you,” he warned.

Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa of NIDO also commended the Ghana Police Service for their swift response.

“Justice has been served for the victims. Ghana is not fertile ground for criminal activities. We must all work together to eliminate human trafficking and restore dignity to our nations,” he said.