Man jailed for human trafficking, sexual abuse

A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to two years jail by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State for human trafficking.

The convict, Sylvanus Ubong Sunday, from Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state, was arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in November 2017 following a report from a mother that her seven-year-old daughter was being sexually exploited by the accused person.

Initial investigations revealed that he was also sexually abusing another girl, aged 10, and he was subsequently arraigned on a two-count charge of sexual exploitation of the two underage girls, an offence punishable under Section 16(1) A Plateau State High Court on Thursday sentenced a 40-year-old man, Sani Usman to two years imprisonment for raping a minor.

The judge, Justice Iliya Ashoms, handed down the sentence on Usman who had been on bail, after the court found him guilty of committing the crime.

Ashoms however, gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N100, 000 for the second year prison term, adding that Usman must serve the first prison term without any option.

He said that the sentence was to serve as a deterrent to those who might want to commit similar acts.

During the arraignment, counsel to the convict, Mr Mahan Mahuyai, had prayed the court to be lenient on his client stating that he was a widower and had five children who needed parental guidance.

Mahuyai, added that if long prison sentence was given, the children would be without parents in their lives of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge, Justice I.M Sani, said the court found Sunday guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each count, without any option of fine. However, the sentences are to run concurrently beginning from the day of his arrest.

The Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, while reacting to the news said inasmuch as she would love to see child exploiters bag stiffer sentences, she was still glad that justice was served.

She further urged members of the public to report cases of child exploitation to NAPTIP, adding that keeping quiet or hiding the culprits will only endanger the lives of more children. which could lead them to get involved in social vices.

Earlier during the arraignment, the prosecutor, Mr Ibrahim Saleh of the Plateau State Ministry of Justice, had told the court that the convict committed the crime at his residence located opposite Plateau Academy, Bukuru on November 11, 2014.

Saleh said that the accused who was a neighbour to the victim lured the minor into his room and raped her.

He said that the victim‘s mother was about to bath her to go for Arabic school at about 4p.m when the accused suddenly lured the little girl into his room and had carnal knowledge of her while the mother was outside the house.

He added that the mother later saw the victim walking with difficulty, with blood gushing from her private part.

Saleh added that when the victim was interrogated, she led her parents to the accused after which he was handed over to the police. (NAN)