Ghanaian security authorities say they have uncovered a disturbing international human trafficking trail involving Nigeria and Ghana, after rescuing a 15-year-old Nigerian girl who was smuggled into the country and forced into prostitution.
In a detailed update issued on 5th November 2025, the Western Central Regional Police Command confirmed that officers from the Regional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) carried out the rescue operation in Tarkwa, following a coordinated cross-border intelligence alert.
Police sources stated that the victim had been declared missing in Nigeria in October 2025 after her father, Ogbonno Onuigbo, lost contact with her. The father later received a shocking phone call from his daughter on 24th October 2025, during which she disclosed that she had been trafficked to Ghana and was being sexually exploited by her captors.
Immediate international collaboration between Ghanaian authorities and Nigerian counterparts led investigators to Aboso, a community near Tarkwa, where a 25-year-old woman identified as Joy Ogbonna was subsequently arrested on Monday, 3rd November 2025.
Investigations so far reveal that the minor was first lured from Enugu to Lagos by a woman named Golden Blessing, who allegedly promised her a domestic cleaning job. Instead, the teenager was trafficked across borders and delivered into the custody of Joy Ogbonna in Ghana.
Police say the victim was locked indoors, repeatedly forced into sex work, and compelled to surrender all the money she earned to her handler. Her rescue became possible after she managed to get assistance from a civilian passerby who helped her reach her father by phone.
A medical examination conducted at a health facility after her rescue revealed she is approximately five weeks pregnant, further confirming the scale of exploitation.
Suspect, Joy Ogbonna, is currently in Ghana Police custody and is expected to be processed for court. Meanwhile, police have intensified efforts to track down the alleged recruiter, Golden Blessing, believed to have fled back to Nigeria.
The Western Central Regional Command has described the case as yet another proof that human trafficking syndicates are aggressively targeting vulnerable minors across West Africa, and have urged the public to continue reporting suspicious activities.
The Command emphasized its firm commitment to shut down cross-border trafficking networks, protect underage victims, and prosecute offenders involved in child sexual exploitation across all regions in Ghana.
Source:Africa Publicity
