It was the end of the road for a human trafficker, Nneka Ebelechukwu when a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Adeniyi Ademola sentenced her to 30 years in prison without option of a fine.
The 30 year old native of Anambra State was accused of organising foreign trips for girls and subjecting them to prosecution.
A press statement released by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) said the accused was arraigned on a three count charge and was first arraigned in court on June 9, 2013 for the offences punishable under section 16 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003, as Amended.
Her sentence is to run concurrently without an option of fine, Justice Adeniyi Ademola said.
the statement reads in part: “Justice Adeniyi Ademola condemned the act in strict terms and also called on parents to desist from handing their children to human traffickers for greener pastures and actually consider offers to assist, with a pinch of salt.
Reacting, the Executive Secretary of NAPTIP, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba commended the judgement, saying the sentence is commensurate to the offence committed. She also said her agency will continue to advocate for stiffer penalties for offenders of human trafficking in other to discourage others from it.
“…the Agency will continue to boost its prosecution processes and will not relent in its efforts of stamping out human trafficking from Nigeria. This conviction brings the total number of successful convictions to two hundred and forty eight,” the statement added.
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