4 weeks ago
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Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court successful Lagos has convicted and sentenced 2 women, Blessing Lucky and Joyce Okeke, to 7 years imprisonment for procuring young ladies for prostitution and intersexual exploitation abroad.
The convicts, besides known arsenic Mary Frank and Eva, respectively, were fixed an enactment of good by Justice Faji to wage a good of N5million each.
The convicts were arrested successful 2023 by the operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking successful Persons (NAPTIP) for engaging successful quality trafficking.
They were archetypal arraigned successful tribunal connected May 19, 2023, connected a seven-count complaint of conspiracy and trafficking successful persons.
Initially, the convicts had pleaded not blameworthy to the charge, but they aboriginal changed their pleas conscionable earlier the proceedings commenced.
Based connected the pleas, the prosecutor, Michael Ojugbana, called 5 witnesses to attest and tendered assorted exhibits, which were admitted by the tribunal arsenic evidence.
After listening to the lawyer, Justice Faji convicted and sentenced the women successful accordance with the law.
The justice sentenced the 2 convicts to 7 years’ imprisonment and a good of N1 cardinal connected number seven, portion connected counts 4 and 6, helium sentenced them to 5 years’ imprisonment and a good of N2 million.
Regarding counts 2 and 3, the justice determined that the instrumentality specifies a maximum punishment but does not found a minimum penalty. This means the tribunal cannot enforce a punishment greater than the maximum allowed, but it does person the authorization to enforce a lesser punishment if it chooses to bash so.
He further held, “Given that I person imposed the minimum sentences for counts 4 and six, immoderate presumption I enforce regarding counts 2 and 3 are improbable to importantly impact the wide sentence, peculiarly since the convicts are archetypal offenders successful their aboriginal twenties.
“Consequently, for number two, I condemnation you, Blessing Lucky, to six months imprisonment without imposing a fine.
“For you, Joyce Okeke, I besides enforce a condemnation of six months imprisonment without a fine.
“Count 7 pertains to conspiracy. I notation to the applicable section, which states that immoderate idiosyncratic who conspires with different to perpetrate an offence nether this Act is liable.
“The important offence is that the convicts purchased Zara knowing she would beryllium subjected to exploitation.
“Evidence exists that the offence was committed, arsenic the convicts knowingly acquired Zara with the knowing that she would beryllium exploited. The substantive offence is charged nether counts 4 and 6.
“The convicts pleaded blameworthy to the charges, and accordingly, I enforce the penalties prescribed for the offences, which, nether conception 21, are a situation word of not little than 5 years and a good of astatine slightest 2 cardinal naira,” Justice Faji held.
English (US) ·