Ada Peace, a Nigerian trader, was sentenced to seven years in jail by an Accra Circuit Court for human trafficking and immigration-related offences following a successful prosecution by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
The conviction came after two victims, ages 13 and 21, were saved from exploitation through an intelligence-led investigation by the GIS, Asankragwa Sector Command.
Chief Superintendent of Immigration (CSI) John Bernard Otoo presented the case’s facts to the court, stating that the victims were enticed from Nigeria to Ghana under the guise of working as store attendants.
Rather, he claimed, they were coerced into prostitution while the prisoner stole the money they made.
The prosecutor states that the GIS Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons (AHSTIP) Section’s investigations revealed that the victims were transported into Ghana through accomplices in Nigeria and welcomed by Ada Peace at a brothel in Adaase, close to Asankragwa, in the Western North Region.
The investigations also showed that the victims were forced to perform commercial sex work in order to pay off debts totalling six million Nigerian naira and were the targets of spiritual intimidation.
The court also heard that Ada Peace and her accomplice, Rejoice Opara, had entered Ghana illegally in July 2024 and had continued to stay there without the necessary permissions.
Opara was fined and released by the court, while Ada Peace was accused of four crimes, including illegal entrance and people trafficking.
In response to the conviction, Mr. Samuel Basintale Amadu, Comptroller-General of Immigration, denounced unlawful migration, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking.
He warned that the nation’s security authorities would not put up with the exploitation of vulnerable people or violations of immigration regulations, emphasising that those who commit such crimes would be fully investigated and prosecuted.
Mr. Amadu reiterated the GIS’s dedication to using intelligence gathering, investigations, and cooperation with pertinent parties to combat human trafficking and related transnational crimes.
Additionally, the service warned the public to be on the lookout for the activities of traffickers, who frequently employ dishonest strategies like recruitment through social media sites like Facebook and TikTok, false claims of job and travel opportunities, and demands for upfront payments from self-described travel agents.
In order to support initiatives targeted at safeguarding vulnerable individuals and upholding the nation’s immigration rules, it asked the public to report suspected incidents of human trafficking and irregular migration to the relevant authorities.
Source: newsthemegh.com