A Federal High Court sitting in Kano today sentenced 5 persons to prison for committing various offences of human trafficking.
The Court presided over by Hon. Justice Saleh Idrissa sentenced them to different jail terms. The convicts are: Wasilu Umar (22yrs), Shafi’u Ali (29yrs), Kamaludden Ya’u (22yrs), Dalhatu Gambo (34yrs) and Nuhu Ahmad (25 yrs).
Wasilu Umar who was sentenced to 2 years in prison on each of the two Counts charge, was found guilty of inducing a 16 years old girl to go to a brothel in Sumaila Local Government of Kano State without the consent of her parents and forced her into illicit intercourse with himself and other men; and moving the same girl from Kano to a brothel in Abuja without the consent of her parents knowing that she will be forced into illicit intercourse or prostitution with himself and other men.
All these are contrary to and punishable under section 15(a) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Shafi’u Ali was sentenced to 2 years in prison having been found guilty of procuring an underage girl for prostitution and converting his rented room into a brothel where he had sex with her; procured other men to have sex with her and at the same time collected the proceeds of the illegitimate act from her. This offence runs contrary to and punishable under section 16 (1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Kamaludden was sentenced to 2 years in prison for inducing a 16 year old girl from Kano to a brothel in Abuja without the consent of her parents where he and other men had illicit intercourse with her thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 15(a) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Dalhatu Gambo and Nuhu Ahmad were found guilty on the three Count- Charge preferred against them and were sentenced to 3 years each on each of the 3 counts. The three charges are: Connivance to move a 15 year old girl from kano to Abuja where she performed as a dancer and prostitute and they collected the proceeds; Connivance to move another 16 year old girl from Kano to a brothel in Abuja where she was harboured and made to perform as a dancer and prostitute and all the proceeds collected by them; and connivance to move another 16 year old girl from Kaduna to a brothel in Abuja to perform as a dancer and prostitute, with the proceeds collected by them.
These offences are contrary to Section 17(1)(b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Reacting to these convictions from the Kano Zonal Command of the Agency, the Acting Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP), Alhaji Abdulrazak Dangiri commended Hon. Justice S. Idrissa for a good job. He expressed delight at the speed with which the cases were dealt with , adding that these convictions brings to 7, the convicted traffickers from Kano in recent times.
Josiah Emerole
Head, Press and Public Relations, (NAPTIP)