Court convicts man for human trafficking
JUSTICE Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Lagos has convicted and sentenced a 34- year- old man, Isaiah Cos Dickson, to three years imprisonment for human trafficking.
The trial judge found Dickson, a father of two children, guilty of charges, convicted and sentenced him to three years imprisonment. Dickson was charged for conspiracy and organised foreign travel, which promotes prostitution.
The convict alongside a 46 year- old, Margaret Ibritam Emabong, were arraigned before the court by National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Person ( NAPTIP) in 2018, for conspiracy and trafficking one Rita Ezinne Lawrence, to Burkina Faso and Morocco for prostitution.
Both the convict and Margaret reside in Oshodi area of the state at time of their arrest. They were alleged to have committed the offences alongside one Alhaji who was said to be at large since January 2018.
The prosecutor, Becky Jibo, said their offences were contrary to section 18, 13( 2)( b) and 27( b) of the Trafficking in Persons ( Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
The convict and Margaret had pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were first arraigned. Upon their not guilty plea, they were admitted to bail, but they were unable to perfect the bail conditions, hence they have been in custody of Nigerian Correctional Services ( NCOS) since 2018.
However, midway to their trial, the convict changed his plea and pleaded guilty to the two count charges of conspiracy and trafficking in person brought against him, while his co- defendant, Margaret, maintained her stance.
Following the convict’s change of plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the charge. Justice Lifu therefore pronounced him guilty as charged and sentenced him to three years imprisonment with hard labour.
The judge while considering the period the convict had been in custody, however, ordered that the jail term commenced from May 20, 2018, when he was first arraigned; while the judge adjourned further trial of his accomplice, ( Margaret) till March 3, 2022.