Nigeria Receives 13 Trafficked Citizens Rescued from Ghana, Mali

• May 19, 2025

Thirteen Nigerians trafficked to Ghana and Mali have been rescued and returned home, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM). The group includes 12 young women and a five-year-old boy, all victims of human trafficking.

In a statement released on Monday, NiDCOM’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, confirmed that 11 of the victims were repatriated from Ghana, while the remaining two women were rescued from Mali. The operation is part of ongoing efforts to bring back Nigerians exploited abroad.

The girls rescued from Ghana are aged between 16 and 30 and come from different states across Nigeria: four each from Cross River and Benue, one from Imo, and one from Oyo State. The two women brought back from Mali are 27 and 35 years old and both hail from Adamawa State.

Dipo Odebowale, Head of NiDCOM’s Lagos Liaison Office, spoke on behalf of the Commission’s Chairperson, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa. He explained that the victims were deceived with false promises of employment opportunities in foreign countries. Once they arrived in Ghana, they were forced into prostitution and held against their will by trafficking rings.

“These young women were tricked with the hope of better job prospects abroad,” Odebowale said. “Instead, they were abused and forced into exploitative conditions. The traffickers preyed on their hopes and vulnerability.”

He emphasized that NiDCOM, in collaboration with relevant state governments, would ensure the rescued individuals are safely reunited with their families. The Commission will also help the victims begin the process of rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Odebowale reaffirmed NiDCOM’s commitment to fighting human trafficking and supporting Nigerian victims abroad. He urged the public to remain cautious about offers of jobs overseas that sound too good to be true, as these are often used to lure unsuspecting individuals into trafficking networks.

The rescue and return of the 13 Nigerians adds to a growing number of efforts aimed at curbing the exploitation of citizens abroad and bringing traffickers to justice.