Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), says over 10 teenage girls trafficked to Ghana have been rescued.

In a series of videos that went viral on Twitter on Friday, the young girls between the ages of 15 and 18 were said to have been lured into prostitution in Ghana.

They were reportedly rescued by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO).

Reacting to the development, Dabiri-Erewa said the suspected trafficker has been arrested by law enforcement officers in Ghana.

“These are young girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. We thank Chief Callistus, chairman, of NIDO Ghana for ensuring the arrest of the evil perpetrators,” she wrote on X.

The NiDCOM chair said the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) will take up the case.

Earlier this month, Fatima Waziri-Azi, director-general (DG) of NAPTIP, said some orphanages in the country are under investigation over infractions that can be categorised as human trafficking.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has cautioned citizens against travelling with laser pointers to Switzerland, urging them to be aware of local laws.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of NiDCOM, gave the advisory in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu, media, public relations and protocols unit, on June 7.

Dabiri-Erewa’s warning follows a recent detention of Andrew Etsetowaghan at Geneva Airport for carrying a presentation pointer in his hand luggage after the pointers had been banned in Switzerland since June 1, 2019.

Dabiri-Erewa said Andrew was not aware of the policy.

A laser pointer is a hand-held laser that can be used to point to things, for amusement (as a toy or in hobbies) to scare off animals or to drive away other people.

Etsetowaghan, a public health expert and project director at the Centre for Clinical Care and Clinical Research Nigeria, was detained on May 25, 2024, after attending a United States department meeting in Geneva.

Etsetowaghan, who was part of an official delegation ,recounted his ordeal.

“Upon going through security at Geneva Airport, I was informed that my presentation pointer was not allowed in Switzerland,” the statement quoted him as saying.

“I was detained, had my belongings and documents seized, and was subjected to several hours of interrogation and solitary confinement in a cell.

“Despite my compliance, the treatment I received was inhumane, including limited access to bathroom facilities and being forced to sign documents in French under duress.”

Etsetowaghan urged for “measures to prevent such incidents in the future, a review of the procedures and better awareness of the banned items to ensure travelers are well-informed”.

Responding to the incident, Dabiri-Erewa, stressed on the importance of raising awareness about such prohibited items in Switzerland Airports.

She urged the Swiss authorities to enhance their communication on such regulations, describing Etsetowaghan’s ordeal as “avoidable”.

The NiDCOM boss also said many immigrants might be unaware of this regulation.

She asked all Nigerian travelers to exercise caution to avoid similar incidents.

The Federal Government is planning to relocate Ikoyi prison and other correctional centres away from urban areas.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Built in 1955, the Ikoyi prison is located in the highbrow area of Lagos Island with the facility sharing its high fence with residential buildings.

Tunji-Ojo said many prison facilities in the country have been encroached on by urbanisation as some of them are a few metres away from the next house.

He said, “Under this administration, we’ve not had any jail attack; what we’ve had was force majeure which was Suleja because that particular correctional centre was built in 1914. It’s about 110 years old.

“President Tinubu was not President a 110 years old. He inherited 256 correctional centres that needed attention. There is no way he would have completely overhaul it in one year.

“I must talk about urbanisation. Look at Suleja for example, the Suleja correctional centre that came down was only seven metres away from the next house. Instead of what the law says which is a buffer space of 100 metres. So, urbanisation has eaten deep.

“Look at Ikoyi Correctional Centre sharing a fence with (another house). What’s (a) correctional centre doing in Ikoyi? This administration is looking at being able to initiate the process of possibly relocating some of these correctional centres.”

The minister further said the government would soon commence an “inmate audit” across the 256 correctional centres in the country.

According to him, this will help to sanitise the prison facilities by freeing inmates who don’t have any business being there in the first instance.

He added that the government has started the renovation and rebuilding of some of the old prisons in the country.