TheCable

The children, sexual and gender-based violence chief magistrate court in Awka, has sentenced a 34-year-old woman to 21 years in prison for luring four girls into prostitution in Anambra.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, spokesperson to the commissioner for women and social welfare, said in a statement on Wednesday that the woman, identified as Success James, was convicted on an 8-count charge of conspiracy, child labor, child exploitation, abduction of children, and child stealing.

The suspect was said to have been arrested in Onitsha and charged to court in December 2022.

While delivering the judgement, Genevieve Osakwe, the presiding judge, found James guilty of seven charges levelled against her.

Osakwe said “Success James guilty of count 1 and sentenced her to 5 years imprisonment, count 2 attracted 5 years imprisonment, she was slammed 2 years imprisonment in count 3, count 4 was 4 years imprisonment, 2 years imprisonment in count 5, in count 7, she was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, while count 8 attracted 1-year imprisonment”.

The judge said all the sentences would run concurrently without any option of a fine.

“Recall that in December 2022, four teenage girls were rescued by the honourable commissioner for women and social welfare, hon Ify Obinabo, about two days to Christmas,” the statement reads.

“The girls who are between 13 and 15 years old respectively, all hail from Akwa Ibom state.

“In their separate evidences before this honourable court, the victims told the court that they were lured into the prostitution business by one aunty Success who told them that she had a job opportunity for them in Agbor, Delta state, where they would be selling drinks in a beer parlor; but on getting to Agbor, they discovered that it was prostitution work they were brought to do.”

Ify Obinabo, the Anambra commissioner for women and social welfare, expressed satisfaction over the quick delivery of justice, adding that the girls have been enrolled in school.

Obinado said the state would not condone such crimes and continue to ensure women and children whose rights are violated get justice.