The Ghana Police Service has rescued a 15-year-old Nigerian girl who was trafficked from Enugu State and was forced into prostitution in Ghana.
The rescue operation, which took place in the Western Central Region, also led to the arrest of one suspect, with a primary suspect currently at large.
The Head of the Public Affairs Unit for the Western Central Regional Police, Beatrice Turkson, confirmed the details in a statement released on Thursday, November 7, 2025.
According to Turkson, the operation was initiated after the victim’s father, Ogbonna Onuigbo, reported his daughter missing from Nigeria. Onuigbo had received a call from the victim on October 24, 2025, revealing she had been trafficked and abused in Ghana after going missing in October 2025.
Police investigations revealed that the teenager was initially lured from Enugu to Lagos by a person named Golden Blessing under the guise of offering her a cleaning job.
Blessing, who is now the prime suspect and is currently on the run, allegedly handed the victim over to 25-year-old Joy Ogbonna, who then transported her to Tarkwa, Ghana.
Turkson’s statement outlined the abuse the minor faced: “Upon arrival, the suspect confined the victim in a room, forced her into sex work, and collected the proceeds.”
The rescue was possible after a helpful passer-by assisted the victim in contacting her father. Tragically, a subsequent medical examination confirmed that the young victim was five weeks pregnant at the time of her rescue.
The arrested suspect, Joy Ogbonna, was apprehended on Monday, November 3, 2025, at Aboso near Tarkwa, and remains in police custody. She “will be arraigned before the court soon.”
Regarding the ongoing pursuit of the main culprit, Turkson stated: “Efforts are ongoing to arrest her accomplice, Golden Blessing, who is believed to be in Nigeria.”
The Western Central Regional Police Command used the statement to praise the public’s role in the rescue and reaffirmed its commitment to tackling the issue. “The Western Central Regional Police Command commends the public for their support and timely intervention and reaffirms its commitment to fighting human trafficking and protecting vulnerable persons from all forms of exploitation,” the statement concluded.
This incident highlights the persistent issue of cross-border human trafficking involving Nigerian syndicates. The rescue follows similar operations reported earlier this year, including an August 14 operation where the Enugu State Police Command rescued two victims and arrested 30-year-old Raymond Wonna for alleged transnational trafficking.
Similarly, on August 15, the Lagos State Police Command dismantled a trans-border child trafficking syndicate, rescuing eleven victims who were allegedly being taken to Ghana for prostitution.
