Accra, Ghana: A 38-year-old Nigerian businesswoman has been brought before an Accra Circuit Court, accused of trafficking five girls from Nigeria to Ghana for prostitution. Favour Okonkwo, facing five counts of human trafficking, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to Ghana News Agency, who led the prosecution, the case came to light following intelligence received by the Regional Police Command on November 9, 2023. The police were informed about a group of young Nigerian ladies trafficked to Ghana and located in Agbogboloshie, Accra. The police successfully rescued the victims from wooden structures and brought them to the Regional CID office.
During the court proceedings, presided over by trial judge Mrs. Christina Cann, Okonkwo was granted bail in the sum of GHC300,000 with four sureties, as reported by the prosecution. The court stipulated that the sureties must provide land title deeds and be Ghanaians. Additionally, they are required to deposit their passports and copies of their Ghana Cards at the Registry of the court.
The victims reported to the police that they were recruited and trafficked from Nigeria with the promise of lucrative jobs in Ghana. However, upon arrival, they were coerced into prostitution. The prosecution detailed that Okonkwo allegedly took the victims to a fetish priest, where they were forced to swear secrecy under threat of death and to undergo rituals involving the shaving of their pubic hair and drawing of blood.
Furthermore, the prosecution disclosed that the victims were told they would die if they attempted to return to Nigeria. They were also instructed by the accused to sleep with 10 men each day and remit a daily payment of between GHC100 and GHC200 to her.
Investigations revealed that the victims were trafficked without their parents' consent and kept in a wooden structure where they engaged in sexual activities for money. When the police escorted Okonkwo to her room, they found an exercise book containing records of the victims' financial contributions. During interrogation, Okonkwo admitted to recruiting the girls for prostitution.
The matter has been adjourned to February 19, 2024, for a Case Management Conference, with the court requesting the prosecution to file witness statements and all relevant documents for the defense counsel.