Mercy was arrested in the early hours of Friday, January 7, by the Makurdi Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person, NAPTIP, after they received a call from a concerned citizen who saw her with seven ladies at a popular motor park in the state.
The victims were said to be between ages 16-24 years by facial analysis. Following a search, about N500,000 and some foreign currencies were found in the suspect’s possession which further raised suspicion that it was a case of human trafficking to a destination outside the country.
Mercy was arraigned before a court on Wednesday, May 11, for organizing foreign trips for the young girls to Mali for prostitution.
The offence is contrary to sections 18, 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in persons (Prohibition) enforcement and administration act 2015.
She pleaded guilty to all the charges and was sentenced to 7 years in jail by the presiding judge, Justice AbduDogo, with the option of N4.5 million fine.
In other news, the Ondo state police command has arrested a 39-year-old woman for stabbing her ex-boyfriend in the stomach during a fight. Read here
