Court Jails 2 Women For Alleged Human Trafficking, Child Labour

By Ramatu Garba, Kano

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday sentenced two women, Hassana Usman, 55, and Atine Aliyu, 40, to 24 months imprisonment each for allegedly trafficking four children and engaging them for child labour.

The presiding Judge, Justice J. k. Daggard, convicted Usman who resides at Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano and Aliyu who lives at Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano, on a four-count charge of trafficking four girls.

Daggard sentenced the convicts to six months imprisonment each for each of the four offences.

According to Daggard, the sentences are to run concurrently, and it shall start from the time the convicts are in prison custody.

Earlier, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Abdullahi Baballe, told the court that on March 15 the convicts recruited four 8-year-old girls, all from Bebeji Local Government and brought them to serve as domestic workers in Kano metropolis.

Baballe said that the convicts were arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), adding that the offences were punishable under section 23 (1)(a) of trafficking in persons Act 2015.

The convicts, however, pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against them.

The defence counsel, A.D Waziri, pleaded for the accused, saying that Usman had seven children and a very old husband.

Waziri added that she remained the bread winner of the family.

He told the court that the second defendant Aliyu is a widow with six children, has High blood pressure and diabities.

Waziri urged the court to have mercy on them as a first time offenders. (NAN)