Supreme Court Affirms 14 Years Jail Term For ‘Female’ Human Trafficker

The Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of a human trafficker, Martina Opera, who has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for same offence, after over nine years of legal tussle, Daily Sun reports.

Opera’s trial and journey to prison began in 2008 when she was arrested by operatives of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

She was thereafter charged to court on a nine-count bordering procurement and movement from place to place of three girls; using and offering girls for prostitution in the country.

Opera was specifically charged for deceitful inducement of girls to go from Calabar to Sagamu and confinement and detention of girls for prostitution.

According to prosecution, the offences are contrary to sections 15(a) and section 19(a,b, and c) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003 (as amended in 2005).

On April 2012, Justice R. N. Ofili Ajumogobia of the Abeokuta division of a Federal High Court had found her guilty of the charges and sentenced her to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour.

Not satisfied with the judgment, Opera approached the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division which in 2014 in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.

Still not satisfied with the Appeal Court judgment, she went further to the Supreme Court.

In its unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Mary Odili, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decisions of the lower Courts.

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