Man jailed 10 years for trafficking six girls

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, has sentenced one Favour Eboigbe to 10 years’ imprisonment for trafficking six girls to Burkina Faso for prostitution.

Eboigbe was arraigned on 12 counts before Justice A. A. Okeke.

It was gathered that the 37-year-old man was living outside the country by officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in Edo in 2009, following a tip-off.

The victims, who were between the ages of 15 and 21 years, were taken to NAPTIP after they were rescued.

Eboigbe had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were said to be contrary to sections 15a, 16 and 19b of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003.

Justice Okeke, however, sentenced him to a 10-year jail term, when the case resumed on February 29, 2016.

Meanwhile, the Benin Zonal Command of NAPTIP said it had successfully rescued 1,200 girls in Edo State since 2004 and secured 55 convictions.

The spokesman for the command, Mr. Nduka Nwanwene, said the law empowering the agency had been strengthened to prevent Nigerians from being shipped out of the country for sexual exploits by unscrupulous people.