The First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo has caused the arrest of Nigerian bar and restaurant operator, and her son at Sokoban Wood Village, near Kumasi, Ashanti regional capital.
The arrest follows a revelation that the woman, Nkechi, also known as ‘Obolo’ and her son, Emmanuel David, otherwise known as Ndubuisi, have been using their bar as a front to traffic Nigerian girls into the country and force them into prostitution.
Two of such victims, aged 17 and 23, who were rescued have been brought to Accra to be cared for under the orders of Mrs Akufo-Addo.
Explaining their modus operandi, ASP Regina Eleanor Mintah, the Ashanti Regional Anti Human Trafficking Unit Commander, disclosed that the mother and son use social media to lure unsuspecting young Nigerian girls to Ghana with a promise of securing them decent jobs.
The rescued victims were convinced by Ndubuisi to make the trip and he paid for their travelling expenses. But upon their arrival in November 2016, Obolo and Ndubuisi failed to provide them with the decent jobs and rather forced them into prostitution and while they kept the proceeds.
After some time, the girls realized that they were being so they run away from the Sokoban Wood Village to Accra where they were lucky to meet a member of the First Lady’s security and told him their problem. When the First Lady became aware, she ordered for the arrest of the suspects to face the law and provided shelter for the girls.
The police quickly stormed the Sokoban Wood Village at dawn and arrested Ndubuisi but Obolo was nowhere to be found but the police managed to arrest her later.
The mother and son were arraigned before a Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Ekow Mensah last week and Ndubisi remanded in prison custody for two weeks while Obolo was granted bail on health grounds to reappear in court in two weeks’ time, ASP Mintah said.