Justice Ahmed Kala of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a 41-year-old woman, Mrs Peace Asukwo, to five years’ imprisonment for trafficking and harbouring four underage girls for prostitution,
Justice Kala also ordered Asukwo to pay N20 million in compensation to the victims of her crimes.
The judge further imposed a cumulative fine of N2 million on the convict, directing her to pay N500,000 on each of the four counts, with the prison terms to run concurrently.
The court handed down the verdicts after finding the convict guilty of procuring, recruiting, inducing and harbouring the four girls for sexual exploitation, following her prosecution by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
NAPTIP had alleged in the charge marked FHC/L/441c/2023 that the convict brought the victims from Akwa Ibom State and accommodated them at Laredo Hotel in Totowu, a border community between Ogun and Lagos states, where they were allegedly exploited for prostitution.
The prosecutor, Uzunwa Egonu, had informed the court that the offences contravened Section 15(b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Asukwo had pleaded not guilty when she was arraigned in 2023, although she was granted bail, she was unable to meet the conditions.
During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses, including two of the victims and two investigating officers, while the defendant testified as the sole witness in her defence.
In his judgment, Justice Kala held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the defendant failed to discredit the evidence against her.
The judge said, “The defendant made no effort to contradict the prosecution’s case, as there is no evidence before the court to challenge the fact that she harboured the victims at the Laredo Hotel, where they were subsequently induced into prostitution.
“Accordingly, I find the defendant guilty on all four counts of harbouring the victims for prostitution and hereby convict her as charged.”
Before sentencing, the convict pleaded for leniency, promising the court that she would never commit the offence again.
However, Justice Kala sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment and imposed a total fine of N2 million.
Invoking Section 65(2) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, the judge further ordered Asukwo to pay N5 million compensation to each of the four victims, bringing the total compensation to N20 million.
