By Ado Oyeyemi
A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has sentenced a 27-year-old man, Chukwuemeka Iheamama, to 12 years imprisonment for trafficking two teenagers for exploitation.
The victims, identified as Bright Edim and Mary Ekong, both aged 15, were reportedly being transported to Ghana for prostitution before the suspect was apprehended.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by the Ogun State Commander of the agency, Bose Jimoh.
According to the statement, Iheamama was arrested on April 12, 2025, by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in the Agbara area of Ogun State while conveying the minors towards Badagry for onward movement out of the country.
The case was later transferred to the Ogun State Command of NAPTIP for further investigation and prosecution.
Jimoh stated that the convict was arraigned before Justice A. A. Okeke of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, on June 18, 2025, on a three-count charge bordering on child trafficking.
She explained that the trial commenced on October 15, 2025, while judgment was eventually delivered on May 20, 2026.
“The court found the defendant guilty on all counts of the charge,” the statement read.
She added that the offences contravened Sections 13, 15(b), and 26(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
According to the agency, the court sentenced Iheamama to two years imprisonment with an option of N250,000 fine on count one, five years imprisonment with a N500,000 fine on count two, and another five years imprisonment on count three.
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The court, however, ordered that the sentences should run concurrently.
