A mother of five, Chinyere Raman, has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State for trafficking a lady to Libya.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro handed down the verdict on Friday after convicting her of human trafficking and promotion of prostitution.
Raman was arraigned in 2019 by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
She was accused of buying the victim for 300, 000 Libyan dinars from a Cameroonian (said to be at large), for the purpose of subjecting her to exploitation and prostitution.
The convict was arrested on February 22, 2019, at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, when she returned from Libya.
Following her arrest, she was taken to court on two counts of engaging in human trafficking and promoting prostitution.
According to NAPTIP, the offences contravene sections 18 and 21 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administrative Act, 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
She pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against her.
Following her not guilty plea, the prosecution opened its case and called witnesses and tendered several exhibits.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Awogboro held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge sentenced the convict to five years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts.
Justice Awogboro, however, ordered that the jail terms should run concurrently and commence from February 22, 2019, when the convict was arrested.
