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07.07.2018 Crime & Punishment

Nigerian Thrown Behind Bars For Human Trafficking

By GNA
Nigerian Thrown Behind Bars For Human Trafficking
07.07.2018 LISTEN

A 41 year old Nigerian woman who received four trafficked girls to Ghana and assisted in transporting them to Elubo enroute to La Cote D'Ivoire for prostitution has been sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Appearing before an Accra Circuit Court, Monica Ogechi Amandi pleaded guilty to conspiracy and four counts of human trafficking.

The court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku convicted Monica on her on plea and sentenced her to five years on each counts. Sentences will however run concurrently.

Her accomplice, Esther Obed Otumi aged 37 who also accepted some of the trafficked girls aged between 17 and 22 years in her house in La Cote D'Ivoire has denied the human trafficking charge.

Esther has been remanded into Police custody to reappear on July 17.

The facts as narrated by Prosecution was that Monica and Esther with the help of one Fella a resident of Nigeria recruited five girls from different parts of Nigeria under the pretext of providing them jobs as shop attendants in La Cote D'Ivoire.

Prosecution said victims aged between 17 and 22 years were transported to Ghana by Monica who later sent them to Elubo Boarder Post for the purpose of sending them to Yakese in La Cote D'Ivoire.

On May 27, this year, at the Elubo border, Monica was nabbed by Immigration officials when she attempted to cross the border with one of the victims.

Meanwhile three of the victims had already crossed the border and were waiting for her at Esther's residence in La Cote D'Ivoire.

Prosecution said three of the victims were forced into prostitution by Esther who claimed that they were indebted to her to the tune of CFA 2,000,000 and they could only pay back through prostitution.

The victims then made a total of CFA 176,000 from the daily sex trade.

However two of the victims escaped from a brothel at Yakese and proceeded to the Immigration officials at the Elubo border Post.

The prosecution said Esther was then baited to bring other girls for the sex trade and when she brought one of them she was identified by the victims and she was arrested.

Meanwhile one of the victim could not be traced.

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