The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has received 13 trafficked Nigerians, including 12 girls and a five-year-old boy who were rescued from human trafficking rings in Ghana and Mali, according to a statement released on Sunday.

The rescue operation saw 11 of the victims returned from Ghana, while two women were repatriated from Mali, as revealed in a press release signed by NiDCOM’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

The 11 girls rescued from Ghana, aged between 16 and 30, are from Cross River (4), Benue (4), Imo (1), and Oyo (1) states. The two women rescued from Mali, aged 27 and 35, are from Adamawa State.

Speaking on behalf of NiDCOM Chairperson Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Mr. Dipo Odebowale, Head of the Commission’s Lagos Liaison Office, disclosed that the victims had been lured with false promises of employment, only to be forced into prostitution in Ghana.

He said the traffickers exploited the victims’ vulnerability under the guise of better opportunities abroad.

The two women rescued from Mali shared harrowing accounts of sexual abuse, physical assault, and emotional trauma with NiDCOM officials, including Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

Dabiri-Erewa reaffirmed NiDCOM’s commitment to working with the victims’ respective state governments to ensure rehabilitation, reintegration, and psychological support.

She also called for stringent legal action against traffickers and urged greater efforts to publicly expose trafficking networks operating across West Africa.

The victims have since been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for profiling, counseling, and further support.