Court remands Nigerian woman over human trafficking

A Nigerian food vendor, identified as Gift Chinyere Aminu, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court over allegations of trafficking two women from Togo to Ghana and coercing them into prostitution.

Aminu faces three charges — conspiracy to commit crime, to wit human trafficking, and two counts of human trafficking. She pleaded not guilty.

Her alleged accomplices, known only as Jennifer and Blessing, remain at large.

Presiding Judge Mrs. Sususa Eduful denied Aminu bail after observing that she lived in a kiosk at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, and therefore did not have a fixed place of abode. The court held that granting her bail could jeopardise her attendance during trial.

According to the prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Issah Achiburi, the case reached the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the CID on October 30, 2025, following a tip-off from one of the victims.

The victim, a Nigerian living in Accra, alleged that Aminu and her partners trafficked her and another woman from Togo, forcing them into prostitution upon arrival in Ghana.

Police say Aminu managed the victims’ activities, collected their earnings, and remitted the proceeds to her accomplices.

Investigations revealed that Aminu allegedly took the victims to a shrine, compelling them to swear an oath that they would lose their sanity if they attempted to flee or withheld money.

After police operations disrupted similar activities in Togo, Aminu reportedly relocated to Ghana, where she continued exploiting the victims at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

One of the victims later became pregnant, and the accused allegedly administered medication to induce an abortion.

Further inquiries showed Aminu had extorted ₦300,000 from one victim and ₦250,000 from the other.

The court has ordered the prosecution to file full disclosures ahead of the Case Management Conference, which has been scheduled for November 19, 2025.

Police say efforts are underway to locate and arrest Aminu’s accomplices, while the victims are receiving protective assistance from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit.