A Nigerian woman, Patience Gold, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Tarkwa Circuit Court in Ghana for trafficking four young women, including one who is HIV-positive, from Nigeria to Ghana for the purpose of forced prostitution.
The court, presided over by Judge Hathia Manu, convicted the 32-year-old on four charges: human trafficking, illegal abortion, assault, and prostitution. According to a report by Graphic Online, Gold was given a 20-year sentence for human trafficking, five years for illegal abortion, and two months each for assault and prostitution. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning she will serve a maximum of 20 years.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Samuel Ahiabor presented the facts of the case, revealing that Gold trafficked the victims from Benue State, Nigeria, to Ghana between March 22 and 27, 2025, under the false promise of employment as bar attendants at her drinking spot, Asanka-Moscato. Once in Ghana, the victims were coerced into sex work. Gold reportedly used intimidation tactics to control the women, forcibly shaving their pubic hair, removing their fingernails, and making them swear an oath under duress, threatening madness if they failed to repay the money she claimed to have spent on them.
The court heard that Gold collected all proceeds from the sex work and showed no regard for the victims’ well-being. One of the trafficked women, who was already pregnant at the time, was given a herbal concoction by Gold on March 28, 2025, resulting in an illegal abortion. Another victim, who fell ill on March 12, 2025, was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS after being taken to a hospital. Fearing that the woman’s health status would impact business, Gold relocated her to another site for continued sex work and continued collecting the money she earned.
ASP Ahiabor also detailed a separate incident on March 25, 2025, when Gold visited the HIV-positive victim to collect proceeds and was handed GH¢300. Dissatisfied with the amount, Gold allegedly assaulted her, causing facial injuries, and also seized her antiretroviral medication.
The victims reported the abuse to the Asankrangwa Police Station after the assault and withholding of medication. Gold was subsequently arrested and charged.
This case is not isolated. In 2024, the Asokwa Circuit Court in Kumasi sentenced another Nigerian woman, 40-year-old Rose Ikem, to five years in prison with hard labour for trafficking girls from Nigeria to the Ashanti Region of Ghana for prostitution. Ikem was also convicted of assault and ordered to pay GH¢24,000 in compensation to four victims.