Businesswoman before court for human trafficking

A Nigerian businesswoman is before court for allegedly trafficking four Nigerian girls into Ghana and forcing them to engage in prostitution.

The accused person, Blessing Antia, is said to have convinced the girls to follow her to Ghana by enticing them with jobs as salesgirls, but ended up forcing them into prostitution.

When the girls demanded their freedom, Blessing was alleged to have demanded GH¢4,000 from each of them before granting their freedom.

She was also alleged to have forcibly collected some panties and pubic hair of the girls with a threat that they would go mad if they refused to work as prostitutes.

At yesterday’s hearing, Blessing pleaded not guilty to four counts of human trafficking before the Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye.

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Boutique owner

Presenting the case of the prosecution, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Cletus Abadamlora said in June 2017, Blessing travelled to Nigeria and convinced two of the girls that she was a boutique owner in Ghana and would like to employ them as salesgirls.

“On June 14, 2017, the girls arrived in Ghana. Two days after their arrival, Blessing sent them to a hostel and later sent them to a place known as ‘Bigot’ at Lapaz, where she forced them into prostitution,” the prosecutor said.

In August 2017, DSP Abadamlora explained, Blessing used the same tactics and lured two other Nigerian girls into Ghana, and once again forced them into prostitution.

“On August 17, 2017, Blessing forcibly collected some of the girls’ panties and pubic hair and threatened them that they would go mad if they refused to work as prostitutes. She then asked them to pay her GH¢4,000 each before they could be released,” he said.

The prosecutor added that on August 30, 2017, the four girls reported their ordeal to the police, leading to Blessing’s arrest.