The Ministry of Women Affairs has perfected plans to stop hotels in the country from lodging underage girls.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, who disclosed this on Saturday at the ‘Unlock Training and Grants’ ceremony in Abuja, said the ban on lodging of young girls in hotels will help tackle the menace of trafficking.
She was reacting to the recent rescue of ten teenage Nigerian girls allegedly trafficked to Ghana for prostitution.
Kennedy-Ohaneye said action against such practices like trafficking from the Ministry of Women Affairs will start on Monday.
She said hoteliers will be mandated to put up a ‘No Lodging of Underage Girls’ signage outside their facilities.
The Minister also instructed school proprietors in the country to take action against bullying by either teachers or students.
“Meanwhile, I am sure you saw the video circulating about our girls taken to Ghana. Did you see it? Very good. Action will start on Monday.
“You will hear about our action first thing on Monday morning. That is the first I am going to approach and see what we can do about it.
“Nigeria must be better. From 20th (June), we have directed hotels to put a sign outside from the Ministry of Women. No lodging of underage girls. (Otherwise) what happened in Niger State will be an understatement to what will happen in the FCT and I mean it. No more lodging of underage girls and no more bullying in schools.”
According to the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the teenage girls rescued in Ghana were reportedly lured from Nigeria to Ghana by a nameless man who has now been arrested by the police in a neighbouring West African country.
The NIDCOM boss said the girls were rescued by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), an umbrella association for Nigerians living in Ghana.
In a viral video which showed the girls after they were rescued, a NIDO official was heard saying, “We just rescued all these ones from one single person, innocent Nigerian children that were brought here to do what they wouldn’t have wished to do to.
“They are helpless. They picked them and sent them to do prostitution and they would be collecting money from these innocent children.”
Credit: Channels
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