4 women bag 6 months jail term each for using minors to beg in Nigeria

A Federal High Court in Enugu, Nigeria on Wednesday, sentenced four women to six months imprisonment each for engaging minors to beg for alms for them.

Justice R.O Oghoghorie, sentenced Chinasa Ugwu, 28; Mary Effiong, 19; Grace Bright, 25 and Happiness Asuquo, 20.

They had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), charged Ugwu, Effiong, Bright and Asuquo with trafficking and child abuse.

Justice Oghoghories, however gave the women an option to pay a fine of N10, 000 each.

NAPTIP accused the women of employing the services of three minors to beg for alms begging and hired out and also hired out the babies for the same purpose.

The agency said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 23(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Act 2015.

The prosecution counsel, Mr Nnamdi Ezemagu, applied for the review of the facts of the case.

Speaking after the judgment, Mrs Comfort Agboko, Enugu Zonal Commander, NAPTIP, expressed satisfaction with the conviction.

Agboko said that the matter was transferred to NAPTIP by the Enugu Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

She said that the NSCDC in July 2019 arrested Ugwu who was in possession of three infants on suspicion of child trafficking and abuse.