The Indigenous People of Biafra have called for collective action to end the trafficking of teenagers in the South-East, including boys and girls and sexual exploitation locally and internationally.
The pro-Biafran group described the recent viral videos of some teenage girls from the South-East trafficked for prostitution in Ghana as a disturbing development.
They stated this in a statement signed by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Saturday, adding that IPOB is against any form of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
The statement read in part, “The noble family and movement of IPOB calls for collective actions to stop the trafficking of teenagers, both girls and boys. These children were mostly underaged and were trafficked and locked up in rented houses in Ghana to prostitute for the soulless wicked traffickers.
“We believe that the trafficking of innocent and ignorant teenage girls from Nigeria to Ghana, to other African countries, Europe and American countries for prostitution is an international cartel that needs the collaboration of inter-country security and other international agencies to tackle.
“These teens were trafficked through land borders in connivance with the security agencies at borders and checkpoints. We call on Nigerians and Ghanaians to arrest and prosecute the human traffickers.”
It added, “IPOB is against any form of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Igbo girls are important for productive procreation among Ndigbo. Those trafficking these Igbo girls and those using them as sex slaves locally and internationally are enemies of Ndigbo and must be treated as such.
“We are urging Biafran parents to become more responsible and ensure they instil good values in their children to avoid being trafficked or becoming human traffickers. We commend the efforts of some of the amiable leaders who worked with the Ghana Police in rescuing some of the trafficked girls in Ghana.
“The teenage girls rescued should be properly counselled and sent back to their parents in Nigeria and Biafra while the arrested kingpin should face international law.”
It further stated that its leadership has given orders to all IPOB coordinators both home and abroad to be on the lookout for anywhere Igbo teenagers are being held hostage as sex slaves and report it.
“IPOB volunteers and ESN operatives must be ready to assist in checking any hotel harbouring 13 to 15-year-old girls in their hotels and those hotels should be brought down. Be ready to be dealing with human traffickers in Alaigbo.
“We can’t afford to allow human traffickers to destroy our future mothers and leaders. All hands must be on deck to stop this ugly monster of trafficking underaged girls for prostitution,” the statement added.
Earlier in June, ten teenage Nigerian girls around the ages of 15 and 16 were rescued by authorities after they were trafficked to neighbouring Ghana for prostitution.