Man, 27, gets 2 years jail for human trafficking

Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has sentenced 27 years old Sylvanus Ubong Sunday to two years imprisonment for human trafficking offences.

The convict who hailed from Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, was arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) in November 2017 following a report from a mother that her seven years old daughter was being sexually exploited by the accused person.

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A statement signed on behalf of Head, Press and Public Relations Unit by Nneka I Aniagoh said that preliminary investigations revealed that the convict was also sexually abusing another girl, aged 10 and he was subsequently arraigned on a t charge of sexually exploiting the two girls aged 7 and 10, a punishable offence under Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

Delivering the judgment, the presiding Judge, Honourable Justice I.M Sani said that having listened to both prosecution and defence counsel the court found him guilty of the offences.

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The judge consequently sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each charge, without any option of fine. However, the sentences are to run concurrently beginning from the day of his arrest, November 8th, 2017.

The Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, while reacting to the news said that in as much as she would love to see child exploiters bag stiffer sentences, she still expressed her gladness that justice was served.

She further urged members of the public to report such cases of child exploitation to NAPTIP, adding that keeping quiet or hiding the culprits will only endanger the lives of more children.