By Ayo Akanni
DAMATURU, Yobe State (Sundiata Post) – A federal high court sitting in Damaturu, Yobe State has sentenced 57-year-old Alhaji Ya’u Shuaibu Salihu to four years imprisonment for human trafficking.
The suspect, a native of Farantama village, Albasu Local Government of Kano State, was arraigned by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on a two-count charge of procuring nine underage victims with the intention of taking them to Sudan for possible exploitation, an act contrary to Section 26 (2) of the Trafficking in Person (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.
The suspect, farmer and a trader, was nabbed by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service Yobe State Command, Damaturu, in 2017 while trying to cross the Geidam/Niger border with the victims, and transferred to NAPTIP for proper investigation and prosecution.
Delivering the judgment, Honourable Justice Hamma Isa Dashi, having listened to both counsels and their witnesses, found the suspect guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each count, making it a total of four years imprisonment without the option of fine.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, commended the judiciary and the Nigerian Immigration Service for their resilience and steadfastness in ensuring that justice is served. She warned traffickers to desist from such acts as the Agency, through intense partnership with other law enforcement agencies, is poised to adequately tackle human trafficking in Nigeria.