Photo: High Court in Niger State sentence woman to 2 years imprisonment for exploiting 12-year-old child

Federal High court sitting in Minna, Niger State, on Tuesday, September 27th, sentenced one Glory Abang to 2 years imprisonment for engaging a 12 year old child in activities that were exploitative, injurious or hazardous to her physical, social and psychological development.

Mrs Abang, mother of three, residing at Chief Palace, Goram, Niger State was arrested by officers of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in July 2015.

She took her half sister from Akwa Ibom State to Niger State under the pretext of sending her to school but engaged her in activities that were exploitative, including sleeping in a Poultry facility at her residence which is exploitative and hazardous to the child’s psychological development. The child was also not enrolled in school as promised.

When the suspect was arraigned on Tuesday, she pleaded guilty to the one count charge but pleaded for leniency. Delivering his judgment Hon. Justice .Y. Bogoro convicted Mrs Abang and sentenced her to 2 years imprisonment She was sentenced under section 23(1) (b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 which says:

"Any person who employs, requires, recruits, transports, harbours, receives or hires out a child to do any work that is exploitative, injurious or hazardous to the physical, social and psychological development of the child, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a minimum term of 2 years but not exceeding 7 years without an option of fine".

In his reaction, the Acting Director-General of NAPTIP, Alhaji Abdulrazak Dangiri applauded the Judge for the urgent attention given to the case and appealed to the Judiciary to ensure speedy trial of human trafficking cases.

Source: NAPTIP