Ghanaian court jails Nigerian man for trafficking sister, nine others into prostitution

A Ghanaian court has sentenced a 29-year-old Nigerian, Chukwudi Nwachukwu, to ten years’ imprisonment for trafficking his younger sister and nine other teenage girls from Nigeria to Ghana under the guise of securing them restaurant jobs.

According to court proceedings at the Achimota Circuit Court, Nwachukwu lured the victims aged between 15 and 18 years from rural communities in Nigeria, promising them decent employment opportunities in Ghana. Instead, upon their arrival, he forced them into prostitution.

Prosecutor Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Isaac Babayi told the court that the case was exposed following a tip-off from Chief Calistus Eloziepuwa, a member of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Ghana, who alerted the police and helped rescue the victims.

Investigations by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) revealed that Nwachukwu financed the girls’ journey and confined them at Liberia Camp near Kasoa. He reportedly subjected them to fetish rituals, cutting their pubic hair and compelling them to swear oaths before a shrine, warning that they would suffer incurable diseases if they attempted escape.

The victims were later moved to Odorkor, a suburb of Accra, where they were forced to engage in sex work and pay Nwachukwu GH₵300 daily. Police also discovered a record book in which the convict meticulously tracked the girls’ daily earnings.

Presiding Judge Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong found Nwachukwu guilty on two counts of human trafficking. While he pleaded for leniency as a first-time offender, the judge emphasised that the increasing prevalence of human trafficking required a firm and deterrent response.

She subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently, and ordered him to pay GH₵15,000 in compensation to each of the ten victims.

The case has drawn widespread attention from both Nigerian and Ghanaian authorities, highlighting the growing threat of cross-border human trafficking and the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies.

Officials from the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Ghana commended the swift intervention of the Ghana Police Service and called for stricter monitoring of recruitment networks operating across West African borders.

The conviction serves as a grim reminder that human trafficking often begins with false promises of better opportunities and that vigilance within communities remains a crucial tool in combating the menace.