A 32-year-old Nigerian woman based in Ghana, Patience Gideon Gold, has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for multiple criminal offences, including human trafficking, forced prostitution, illegal abortions, and assault.
According to court records, the convict trafficked her latest victims from Benue State, Nigeria, into Ghana on March 22 and 27, 2025, under the pretence of securing them decent employment.
However, upon arrival in Ghana, the victims say they were forced into prostitution. They initially resisted, but according to their testimony, the Madam forcibly shaved their pubic hair, removed their fingernails as a form of torture, and made them swear an oath that if they refused to comply, they would go mad.
Out of fear, the victims eventually submitted and began working as sex workers. They stated that Patience Gold had full control over their operations, charged customers, collected the money, and withheld all proceeds from them.
One of the victims, Abigail Timothy, revealed that she was already pregnant before being trafficked to Ghana. On March 28, 2025, the Madam reportedly administered a local herbal concoction to terminate the pregnancy illegally.
In another shocking revelation, a victim named Happiness Kowuka fell ill on March 12, 2025, and was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Despite knowing her status, the Madam relocated her to another area where she continued to engage in commercial sex work while the Madam kept all earnings.
When Happiness confronted her Madam after receiving just GHS300 on her supposed payday, she was brutally assaulted, sustaining facial injuries. This led her to rally her fellow victims and report the abuse to the Asankrangwa Police Station.
Following police investigations, Patience Gold was arrested and admitted to the offences in her caution statement.
She has been handed a 29-year sentence to run concurrently as follows:
- 20 years for human trafficking, contrary to Section 1 (1,2) of the Human Trafficking Act 2005 (Act 694) as amended by Section 1 (1) of the Human Trafficking (Amendment) Act 2009 (Act 784).
- 5 years for illegal abortion, contrary to Section 58 of the Criminal Offences Act.
- 2 years for assault, contrary to Section 84 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
- 2 years for prostitution-related offences, contrary to Section 274(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as substituted by NLCD 398, Paragraph 16.
The court also directed that the victims—Samuel Ahiabor, Jennifer Terewuba, Abigail Timothy, Happiness Kowuka, and Rejoice Isaac—be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service to assist in their safe repatriation to Nigeria.