Nigerian jailed seven years in Ghana over human trafficking, prostitution

A Nigerian woman, Gift Chinyere Aminu, 36, has been sentenced to seven years of hard labor in Ghana for human trafficking and prostitution, according to Accra Circuit Court Four. Aminu, also known as Joy, was convicted despite denying the charges in court. Assistant Superintendent of Police Issah Achiburi presented the case, stating that the complainant, ThankGod Iheme, was a Nigerian resident in Accra.

Aminu lived with two other women, Jennifer and Blessing, all Nigerians, at Kwame Nkrumah Circle Railways. The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department received a case file from the Kaneshie Police Station, involving Aminu, Jennifer Izi (Lovina), and Aissah Mohammed (Gold), all Nigerians. Izi had reported to Iheme that Aminu had brought her from Togo to Ghana and forced her into prostitution, describing the use of severe beatings when they failed to engage in prostitution.

Aminu admitted to knowing both victims during interrogation, stating that she originated from Rafineri, a suburb of Lome, Togo, where she engaged in prostitution. She admitted to bringing Izi and Mohammed to Ghana to manage prostitution and collect the proceeds for Jennifer and Blessing. Aminu took the victims to a shrine after receiving them, making them swear an oath to commit suicide if they tried to escape with her money.

In Togo, police caught Aminu and forced her to relocate to Ghana, where she continued to force the victims into prostitution at Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Izi confessed to being pregnant and requested an abortion from Aminu. The court ordered Aminu to compensate her victims, seizing 300,000.00 naira from Mohammed and 250,000.00 naira from Izi.