Agency Report
A Federal High Court in Kano on Friday sentenced Faith Joseph, a 20-year-old woman, to four years’ imprisonment for trafficking a 21-year-old woman to Burkina Faso for prostitution.
Joseph, who resides in Panshekara, Mallam Sabo, New Abuja Quarters, was convicted on a two-count charge of human trafficking and facilitating illegal entry.
Delivering judgment, Justice M. N. Yunusa said the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. He sentenced the defendant to two years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently, without the option of a fine.
Prosecution counsel from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr. Hassan Nuraddeen, told the court that Joseph conspired with one Grace James, now at large, to facilitate the illegal travel of the victim from Kano through Lagos and Cotonou to Burkina Faso, where she was forced into prostitution.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges, and her confessional statement was tendered as evidence. The offences contravene Sections 26(1) and 18 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition, Enforcement and Administration) Act, 2015, the prosecution noted.
Counsel to the defendant, M. B. Isah, appealed for leniency, citing Joseph’s young age and her remorse over the actions.