Court sentences man for human trafficking

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced a 34-year-old man, Isaiah Cos Dickson, to three years imprisonment for human trafficking.

The trial judge found Dickson, a father of two, guilty of the charges against him, found him guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison. Dickson was charged with conspiracy and organized foreign travel that promoted prostitution.

The convict and Margaret Ibritam Emabong, 46, were brought to justice by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in 2018, for conspiracy and trafficking of Rita Ezinne Lawrence, to Burkina Faso and Morocco for prostitution. .

Both the convict and Margaret reside in Oshodi area, at the time of their arrest. They allegedly committed these offenses alongside a certain Alhaji, who has been at large since January 2018.

Prosecutor Becky Jibo said their offenses contravened sections 18, 13(2)(b) and 27(b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 and punished under the same article of the law. .

The convict and Margaret had pleaded not guilty to the charges against them during their first appearance. After pleading not guilty, they were admitted to bail, but they were unable to perfect the bail conditions. They have therefore been detained by the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) since 2018.

However, midway through their trial, the convict changed his plea and pleaded guilty to the two counts of conspiracy and human trafficking against him, while his co-accused, Margaret, maintained her position.

Following the convict's change of plea, the prosecutor reviewed the facts of the prosecution. Judge Lifu therefore found him guilty of the charges against him and sentenced him to three years' imprisonment with hard labor.

The judge, taking into account the period of detention of the convicted person, however ordered that the prison sentence begin to run on May 20, 2018, the date of his first appearance; while the judge adjourned the trial of his accomplice (Margaret) until March 3, 2022.