The Plateau State Government has arrested a bar owner and another woman for allegedly trafficking three girls to Ghana.
The pregnant woman, identified as Mrs Yakubu, who operates a bar at the Rantya community in Jos, was paraded on Thursday at the State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission’s headquarters in Jos alongside the three trafficked victims who were rescued from Ghana
Two of the girls, aged between 18 and 19 years, were from Adamawa state, while one was from Plateau state.
Briefing journalists on the situation, the chairperson of the State Gender Commission, Olivia Dazyam, disclosed that the commission received information about the trafficking and worked with security agencies to repatriate the girls.
“At the state Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, we received information about a woman that caused the movement of two girls from Plateau State to Ghana. God helped the two girls, and they were able to get back to Jos with the help of the security agencies,” Dazyam said.
According to her, the suspects allegedly trafficked the girls to Ghana for prostitution, receiving “blood money” from the victims’ activities.
She said one of the suspects’ own daughters is reportedly in Ghana, involved in the same situation.
Dazyam expressed concern, saying, “We want to let the people of Plateau State know that traffickers are living in our communities.Why would you want to send young girls to Ghana to go and do what?”
“As a matter of fact, two women were involved in the trafficking. One woman has also caused the trafficking of two girls from Mangu to Ghana. One escaped, and by the grace of God, she’s back safely now. We are saying this because we want to let the people of Plateau State know that traffickers are living in our communities. I do not know whether they have any excuse whether to say this is out of ignorance. There has been a lot of sensitisation out there. Why would you want to send young girls to Ghana to go and do what? As we speak, one of the suspects, her own daughter 18 or 19-year-old girl, is in Ghana. What is she doing in Ghana?” she added.
The chairperson stressed that Governor Caleb Mutfwang had mandated the commission to publicise such cases with evidence.
Dazyam warned traffickers that they will no longer be kept quiet and urged Plateau women to join the fight against trafficking.
She added that the suspects will face further investigation and that the commission aims to uncover more about their activities.
“The repatriated girls have arrived safely, and the commission is working with security agencies to address the issue”, she added
In an interview, the suspect, Mrs Yakubu, expressed regret over her actions but claimed that she was only helping the girls to secure a good job like her daughter in Ghana.
She, however, declined to mention the nature of the business her daughter was doing in Ghana
But the three victims, Humata Ilya, Sendy Emmanuel and Dorathy Yakubu, in separate interviews, countered Mrs Yakubu’s narrative and insisted that they were deceived by the suspect and lured into Ghana for prostitution
Emmanuel said, “She (suspect)deceived us. We were deceived. She told us that her daughter is doing gold business in Ghana, not knowing that we were going into prostitution ”
Our Correspondent reports that the suspect and the three trafficked victims were later moved to the state CID for further investigation.
punch.ng
FOLLOW US ON:
