The police have arrested two Nigerian women for allegedly transporting six girls to Ghana to engage in prostitution.
The arrested ladies are Ify Mba, a 33-year-old actress and Amanda Eze Chioma aka Faith, 23.
The police, acting on tip-off, raided a hotel in Accra where the victims aged between 21 and 26 were being s*xually exploited.
The ringleader, who has been identified only as Angel, is currently on the run.
Two victims, who refused to engage in prostitution, were locked up in a room and denied food by the mistresses.
The
victims, who claimed they were from Anabra, Enugu, Delta and Abia
states, alleged that they were lured by the suspects with juicy deals.
Briefing
the media, Chief Superintendent Felix K Cosmos, the Baatsona Divisional
Police Commander, said the police received information that a group of
Nigerian girls were being escorted by some adult women to a hotel at
Baatsona for prostitution on Monday, March 24, 2017.
Based on intelligence, the police embarked on an operation and arrested the two suspects at 7pm.
The
six victims were rescued and when they were interrogated, they said
they were brought to Ghana by Ify Mba and Amanda Chioma on transit to
Germany and Dubai to be employed as "house helps", he added.
The
police commander said the victims were allegedly forced into
prostitution by the suspects who collected the proceeds on a daily
basis.
The victims said the suspects often transported them to
night clubs and hotels to engage in prostitution daily. Four victims
were brought into the country on March 14, 2017 while the other two were
brought to Ghana on March 22, 2017, the commander said.
The victims said, “On arrival, we were locked up in a room where we
were made to swear an oath to go into prostitution or in default go mad.
We were later asked to work and pay an amount of 555,000 Naira,
equivalent to $2,000 each before their release.
“Madame Chioma told us that we would use Ghana as a transit and that
all our traveling documents would be done in Ghana. A taxi cab was
hired from Nigeria to Ghana and Madam Ify met us on arrival and took us
to the hotel.
“The following morning, they fixed our hair and eye lashes. When I asked
her the reason why we were to wear the lashes, she told me that it was
to make us beautiful and smart. Realizing that we were to be used as
prostitutes, I refused to wear the eye lashes and to engage in the
prostitution and so together with my friend, we were locked up in the
room and denied food until the police came in to rescue us.”
Another
victim, who gave her name as Belinda, said that she had been in the
country for two weeks and had paid 2,000 Naira to the mistresses as part
of her fees through prostitution.
The girls expressed their desire to return to Nigeria.
The
police disclosed that they would hand over the victims to the Anti
Human Trafficking Unit to be transported to Nigeria, adding that the
suspects - Ify Mba and Chioma - would be prosecuted.