24 year-old lady jailed for trafficking young girls to Mali for sexual exploitation

Mercy Sese, 24, was convicted to 7 years in prison and an N4.5 million fine by a Federal High Court in Makurdi, Benue State, for trafficking underage girls to Mali for prostitution.

Justice AbduDogo, the presiding judge, sentenced the accused on Wednesday, May 11, after she pled guilty to a seven-count allegation of organizing international travels for underage girls to Mali for sexual exploitation.

Sections 18, 27, and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 are violated.

The Makurdi Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, had apprehended Sese earlier this year at a popular Makurdi car park, according to LIB.

Mr. Gloria Bai, NAPTIP's Makurdi Zonal Commander, said Sese was held responsible for a large sum of money, including foreign currency.

"The Command received a call from a concerned citizen from Duku Motor Part at Wurukum Makurdi in the early hours of Friday, January 7, 2022, who notified the command of a suspected instance of human trafficking involving seven ladies, one of whom is the suspected trafficker," she said.

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"Officers from the command arrived at Duku Motor Park a few minutes after receiving the report and met the six ladies and the suspect, who all indicated they were on their way to Lagos," added the statement. According to face analysis, the victims were between the ages of 16 and 24. The Nigerian police were also on the ground at the time of the arrival because they had been summoned to the scene.

"Around N500,000 was discovered on the suspect, along with some foreign currencies, indicating that the victims were to be moved to an unknown destination outside of the country." "The ladies were all moved to the Nigeria Police office in the company of NAPTIP officers, and the police are conducting preliminary investigations for onward transfer to NAPTIP for future investigation and possible prosecution."

Source: Lindaikejis blog