*15-Year-Old Too
*Police Also Nab Man Who Rents Brothel To Them
A complaint lodged by a Nigerian commercial sex worker to the local police authorities in Dabiasem, Koforidua, Ghana, has led to the arrest of 15 young prostitutes, one of them said to be a 15-year-old minor, a woman alleged to be their mistress, her colleagues, and a man who rented out the building from where the odious profession was being transacted.
The New Juaben South Municipal Police Command raided the suspected brothel and rounded up the women over alleged involvement in commercial sex activities and human trafficking.
The suspects, aged between 15 and 32, were apprehended on Tuesday, February 10, during a police operation at a house in the New Juaben North Municipality of the country’s Eastern Region.
Briefing journalists in Koforidua on ongoing law enforcement operations, the Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Ransford Nsiah, said the raid followed a complaint from the unidentified Nigerian woman who alleged that she had been assaulted by her mistress, known only as ‘Queenmother’.
According to Superintendent Nsiah, the alleged assault occurred because the victim was unable to meet a daily payment target of GH¢400 (about N50,000) set by the suspect.
“We also arrested another man who had constructed a house and turned it into a brothel where the young ladies were staying,” he stated.
Superintendent Nsiah said the man, suspected to be the ringleader of the human trafficking and prostitution ring, was collecting about GH¢25 (about N3,070) per day from each of the women.
He added that the 15 persons as well as the minor were currently in police custody and would be arraigned before a court, as their alleged conduct breached provisions of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694).
The Commander explained that after screening and interrogation, the young women were charged with soliciting for sex, while their female matrons were charged with assembling for an unlawful purpose.
The suspects remain in police custody assisting with investigations and are expected to appear soon before a High Court.
Superintendent Nsiah disclosed that the police would intensify similar operations, particularly during the forthcoming Easter festivities, to clamp down on crime within the municipality and the region at large.
He stressed that his Command was committed to ensuring that residents live without fear or intimidation.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Some of the suspects.
