By: Olusegun Lawrence Human traffickers now risk five-year jail term and a minimum fine of N1 million if caught, Nigerian Senate approved on Wednesday.
The Senate at plenary considered and approved the report of its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Presenting the report, the committee chairman, Umaru Dahiru, stressed the importance of the review of the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Act 2003.
Speaking on the bill, the Chairman Senate Committee on Power, Phillip Aduda, opined that the two-year jail term provided by the former Act was not stringent enough for such a crime as grievous as human trafficking.
He pointed to the rampant some cases of baby factories in parts of the country, saying it thus became imperative for the National Assembly to come up with more stringent penalties to deter others.
“If you look at the cases of the various baby making factories in some parts of the country like Enugu and Kogi, you will be shocked that some people will just keep women, get them pregnant and sell the babies. Apart from that child trafficking and indeed trafficking is something very serious.
“In the world over it is being taking very seriously. This is a form of slavery which should not happen in modern day Nigeria and indeed in the world.
“For somebody to buy a ticket of N100, 000 or 1million just to traffic somebody tells you that it is a very costly venture. As such those who are caught doing it should be made to be pay very serious money and the penalty should be stiffer.
“If for instance you ask someone to pay just N250, 000 for trafficking, it is too cheap because the person may just pay easily. It is the same thing when you say 2 years in jail. The person may just look at it and agree because he is sure to be out in just two years. But if you put the penalty and they are very stiff, people will be discouraged.
“They will think of the implications of spending five years in jail and they won’t do it. To my mind the penalty we have given are stiff enough. That is not less than five years or one million depending on the discretion of the judge,” Aduda said.
