Juliana Francis
A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State has convicted Margaret Ibritam Emabong for deceitful recruitment of persons for prostitution and organising foreign travel promoting prostitution.
The convict was arraigned by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).
She was arraigned at the Federal High Court Ikoyi in suit charge No. FHC/L/97C/18, before Honourable Justice. P.O. Lifu of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
According to the suit, the convict was charged to court on a 3 count charge filed on the 26th of March 2018. The trial commenced de novo on the 23rd of November, 2021 with the defendant facing charges bothering on deceitful recruitment of persons for prostitution, organising foreign travel which promotes prostitution and conspiracy is contrary to Section 13(2)(b), 18, & 27(b) of the TIPPEA, Act 2015.
Emabong was convicted on 4th October 2022 and sentenced to two years imprisonment on the count of organising foreign travel which promotes prostitution and deceitfully recruiting another for prostitution with hard labour. She was also sentenced to one-year imprisonment on the offence of conspiracy. The term of imprisonment and hard labour are to run concurrently.
In another notable achievement by NAPTIP, Chinedu Eziuzor was convicted by a Federal High Court Awka, Anambra State for sexually exploiting his sister.
Eziuzor was arrested and arraigned by NAPTIP. He was convicted by Hon. Justice Dr. Nnamdi O. Dimgba of the Federal High Court 2, Awka, on 30th September 2022.
The convict, who is 21 years old, was convicted on a one-count charge under section 16(1) of the TIPPEA 2015 and was sentenced to seven months prison term, to start running from the date of arrest, for sexually exploiting his sister sometime in 2021.
The convict was further handed down a noncustodial sentence of seven days, less than three hours daily of intense community service at the Anambra State command.
A report of his community service will be forwarded to the court after the community service. Refusal, failure or neglect to comply with the noncustodial sentence of community service will lead to the convict being rearrested and he will serve a two years prison term.
