A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has sentenced a 20-year-old woman, Faith Joseph, to four years imprisonment for trafficking an unnamed 21-year-old lady to Burkina Faso for prostitution.
Joseph, who resides in Panshekara, Mallam Sabo, New Abuja Quarters in Kano, was found guilty of a two-count charge of trafficking and illegal entry.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice M. N. Yunusa held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced Joseph to two years’ imprisonment on each count without an option of fine.
“The prosecution has proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. I hereby sentence the defendant to two years’ imprisonment on each count without the option of fine,” the judge ruled.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Hassan Nuraddeen, told the court that the convict committed the offence on July 15 in Kano.
He explained that Joseph conspired with one Grace James, now at large, to traffic the 21-year-old victim also from Gaida Panshekara Quarters, Kano, to Burkina Faso through Lagos and Cotonou, where she was later forced into prostitution.
Nuraddeen tendered Joseph’s confessional statement as evidence, adding that her actions violated Sections 26(1) and 18 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition Enforcement and Administration) Act, 2015.
Counsel to the defendant, M. B. Isah, pleaded for leniency, citing her young age and remorse.
However, the court maintained that the punishment would serve as a deterrent to others involved in human trafficking.