Mercy Sese
A 24-year old lady, Mercy Sese, has been convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, by a Federal High Court in Markudi, Benue State, for human trafficking.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person, Makurdi Zonal Command, in January, 2022 arrested Sese at a popular motor park in Makurdi while moving some young girls out of the country to Mali for prostitution.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person, Makurdi Zonal Command, in January, 2022 arrested Sese at a popular motor park in Makurdi while moving some girls out of the country to Mali.
Testifying during the court trial, the Zonal Commander, Mrs. Gloria Bai, disclosed that huge sums of money, including foreign currencies, were recovered from Sese.
According to her: “The command, in the early hours of Friday, January 7, 2022, received a call from a concerned citizen from Duku Motor Park at Wurukum Makurdi, who alerted the command to a suspected case of human trafficking involving seven ladies of which one is the suspected trafficker.
“Officers of the command arrived at the Duku Motor Park some minutes after receiving the call and met the six ladies and the suspect, who said they were all travelling to Lagos. The victims were between the ages of 16 and 24 by facial analysis. At the time of the arrival, the Nigeria police were also on the ground.
“About N500,000 was found on the suspect, alongside some foreign currencies, indicating that the victims were to be moved to a destination outside the country yet to be determined.”
The prosecutor said the offence for which Sese was arrested is contrary to sections 18, 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.
Taking her plea, the defendant pleaded a guilty to a 7-count charge against her.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Abdu Dogo, sentenced her to seven years imprisonment with a fine option of N4.5m.
