A Circuit Court in Asokwa, Kumasi, Ghana, has sentenced Rose Ikem, a 40-year-old Nigerian woman, to five years in prison with hard labor for trafficking young girls from Nigeria to Konongo in the Ashanti region for prostitution. Ikem was convicted of human trafficking and assault, and in addition to her prison sentence, she is required to pay a total of GHȼ24,000 in compensation to her four victims, with each receiving GHȼ6,000. The victims, aged between 17 and 24 years, were lured from Nigeria under false pretenses.

According to the police prosecution, Ikem had been trafficking young girls from Nigeria to Konongo and forcing them into prostitution, often subjecting them to abuse. Police rescued two of the victims after being forced to open the room where they were held, while two others, who had escaped, were found the next day with the help of the complainant.

The court, presided over by His Honour Fred Obikyere, heard that Ikem demanded daily payments of GHȼ500 from her victims, who had been working for her for periods ranging from two weeks to three months, totaling GHȼ89,000. When the victims failed to meet their targets, Ikem physically assaulted them, causing one victim to suffer a fractured left hand.

Ikem received a five-year sentence for trafficking and an additional twelve-month sentence for causing harm, with both sentences to be served concurrently.