Nigerian businesswoman remanded over human trafficking

A Nigerian businesswoman has appeared before a Circuit Court in Accra for allegedly transporting four girls from Nigeria to Ghana to engage in prostitution.

Blessing Atia is said to have collected the victims’ panties, pubic and armpit hair and threatened them that if they refused to work for her they would go mad.

She further demanded 4,000 Ghana cedis each from the victims saying the amount consisted of the cost she incurred in transporting them to Ghana.

Blessing, who is being held on four counts of human trafficking, has pleaded not guilty.

The court presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye, has remanded Blessing into Police custody to reappear on September 18.

The facts, as presented by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) C.K Abadamlora, are that two of the complainants are victims, one unemployed and the other a hairdresser. The accused person resides at Kata Hostel in Accra.

DSP Abadamlora said in June, this year, Blessing travelled to Nigeria and met two of the victims in a salon and during a conversation, Blessing promised to bring them to Ghana to be engaged as sales girls in her boutique.

According to DSP Abadamlora, Blessing also promised to pay them GH¢400.00 each monthly.

On June 15, this year, the victim arrived in Ghana and they were hosted by Blessing at the Kata Hostel for two days.

Prosecution said Blessing took the victims to Bigot, a spot near Lapaz, and forced them into prostitution and they made GH¢600.00 each for her.

On August 30, this year, Blessing informed the auntie of the two other victims that she needed them to run her boutique in Ghana.

She, therefore, paid their transportation and they joined her at Kata Hostel, where she lived.

Prosecution said the accused person collected the victims’ panties, pubic and armpit hair and threatened that if they refused to work for her they would go mad.

In addition, Blessing demanded GH¢4,000.00 as the cost she had incurred before she would allow them to go back to Nigeria.

The victims, after engaging in prostitution for some time, realized they could no longer continue with the act and demand to go to Nigeria but Blessing refused.

On August 30, this year, two of them informed a police officer about their ordeal and Blessing was arrested at Kaneshie in Accra.

According to the prosecutor, two other victims were also rescued at the Kata Hostel.

Prosecution said the victim’s panties, pubic and armpit hair, eight pieces of condom and two personal lubricants were retrieved from Blessing.