- Two Nigerian women charged with trafficking victims into prostitution
- Victims lured to Ghana with fake job promises
- Arrests made in Wassa Akropong; six victims rescued
Two Nigerian nationals have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly trafficking three women from Nigeria to Ghana and forcing them into prostitution.
The accused, 24-year-old sex worker Chidemma Nweke, also known as Mama, and 27-year-old trader Mercy Francis, also known as Blessing or Gina, are said to have lured the victims with promises of job opportunities.
They were arrested by police at Asuogya Krobo in Wassa Akropong, Western North Region, and face charges of human trafficking and abetment of crime. Nweke is alleged to have trafficked one victim, while Francis trafficked two. Both have pleaded not guilty and were remanded into custody by the court, presided over by Mrs. Christina Cann. They are to reappear on April 29, 2025.
Two other suspects, known as Favour and Blessing, are currently on the run.
The case was reported by Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa, President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Ghana, after one of the victims, Favour Chinecherem, escaped with the help of a good Samaritan. She informed authorities that more victims were being held.
A follow-up operation by the CID’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit led to the rescue of six more victims and the arrest of the two suspects.
Investigations revealed that Nweke brought Favour to Ghana under false pretenses and confined her in a brothel operated by Mercy Francis, who later advised selling the victim for GH¢5,000. Mercy allegedly received GH¢500 from the transaction, which she used to renovate her pub, Royal City.
Police are continuing efforts to locate and arrest the remaining suspects.
