Trader jailed 7 years for human trafficking
An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a Nigerian trader, Ada Peace, to seven years imprisonment for human trafficking and immigration offences.
Her conviction followed an intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Asankrangwa Sector Command in the Western Region, that rescued two victims, aged 21 and 13, from exploitation.
Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Chief Superintendent of Immigration (CSI) John Bernard Otoo, told the court that the victims were lured from Nigeria under false promises of being offered jobs as shop attendants in Ghana, but were instead forced into prostitution while the convict appropriated the proceeds.
According to the prosecution, Peace and her accomplice, Rejoice Opara, entered Ghana illegally through unapproved border routes in July 2024 and had resided in the country without permits.
While Peace faced four charges, including human trafficking and illegal entry, Opara was fined and discharged.
Statement
In a statement issued in Accra, the Head of Public Affairs Department of GIS, DSI Barbara Sam said, investigations by the GIS Anti-Human Smuggling and
Trafficking in Persons (AHSTIP) Section established that the victims were recruited through accomplices in Nigeria, transported into Ghana and received by the convict at a brothel at Adaase, near Asankrangwa.
The statement said they were subjected to spiritual intimidation and coerced into commercial sex work to repay debts amounting to six million Naira.
The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, strongly condemned human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and illegal migration.
He stressed that offenders would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, warning that state security agencies would not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable persons or breaches of immigration laws.
The GIS urged the public to remain vigilant, noting that traffickers often used deceptive tactics such as recruitment via social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, false promises of employment or travel opportunities, and demands for upfront payments by self-styled “travel agents.”
