‘How my aunt sold me into sex slavery in Ghana’ – Survivor’s sad tale
Plateau State Government Rescues Trafficked Girls
In June 2024, the Plateau State government, along with the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), successfully rescued a group of underage girls who had been trafficked to Ghana for sexual exploitation.
Among the victims were three young women from the state, ages 18 to 20, who were promised employment opportunities. They instead found themselves trapped in sexual slavery orchestrated by an international trafficking network.
One of the survivors, an 18-year-old identified as Regina (a pseudonym), shared her story during an interview with DAILY POST. Regina recounted how her aunt, her mother’s younger sister residing in Lagos, had persuaded her family that she would provide a better life in Lagos after Regina completed her secondary education.
Regina’s father passed away when she was 10, leaving her widowed mother to care for her and her two siblings. Believing in her aunt’s promise to support Regina’s education or vocational training, the family consented to the arrangement.
However, upon arriving in Lagos, Regina soon discovered her aunt’s true intentions. After about three weeks, she was taken to Badagry under the pretense of meeting a man to assist her education in Ghana. It was then that Regina’s ordeal began.
“I was overjoyed that my dreams would come true,” she recalled. The following day, she was taken to a location where she encountered several other girls, all of whom had similar stories of being promised jobs.
Regina described being led into a room where she was drugged, leading to a traumatic assault. “I was still in that groggy state when the man who was supposed to process my travel documents came into the room,” she said, detailing the abuse she suffered.
Regina was subsequently taken to Burkina Faso, where she was held and forced into prostitution. She was then transported to a brothel in Ghana, where the situation escalated. At the brothel, she was subjected to repeated abuse and exploitation.
After three months in Burkina Faso, Regina was moved to Ghana, where conditions worsened, with multiple assaults occurring daily. “I cried daily and even contemplated committing suicide,” she said, reflecting on her suffering.
Her rescue occurred when law enforcement raided the brothel where she and other girls were held, leading to the arrests of the traffickers. Upon reaching the Nigerian Embassy, Regina and the identified survivors were handed over to officials from the Plateau State government.
Regina expressed gratitude for the support she received from the government, which included counseling, assistance with education, and skill-building initiatives. She plans to pursue a scholarship and further her education.
In her message to young women, Regina cautioned against trusting offers that seem too good to be true, emphasizing the dangers posed by even familiar individuals. “If my own aunt could sell me into sex slavery, only God knows what strangers could do,” she said, highlighting the grave realities of human trafficking.
The Plateau State government has vowed to continue supporting the victims and ensuring justice is pursued against those responsible for the trafficking scheme.
