Court Jails Woman for 5 Years Over Human Trafficking

A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced a woman, Benedicta Usen, also known as Mrs. Carol Omomoh, to five-year imprisonment without the option of fine for trafficking a lady to Italy for prostitution.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment, said he found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt with respect to each and every allegation in the eight-count charge.

“The evidence also exposes her as being in the business of procuring young vulnerable women like Miss Cynthia Omoieke for prostitution abroad.

“People like the defendant must be taken out of the society for good.

“I therefore make an order convicting the defendant of the charge In counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 as charged.

“This is the order of this court,” the judge ruled.

Justice Ekwo also observed that Omomoh’s denials in the face of her evidence-in-chief as 1st defence witness (DW1) only exposed her “as a barefaced liar, a crooked and dishonest human being.”

According to the judge, to even have the audacity to stand in court and deny the statement she made voluntarily to the police shows how depraved she is.

The Inspector-General (I-G) of Police had, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2019, named Omomoh as sole defendant.

In the eight-count amended charge dated Oct 24, 2022, the I-G alleged that the defendant Omomoh and Mrs Oyomiya Lamidi ‘f’ (now at large), sometime in year 2011 in Lagos, conspired between themselves to commit the offence by recruiting and transporting Miss Cynthia Loveth Ese Omoieke to Italy through the United Kingdom (UK) by means of deception and abuse of position of vulnerability.

The offence is punishable under Section 27 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration (TPPEA) Act, 2015.