The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Monday, convicted and sentenced a woman, Benedicta Usen, aka Carol Omomoh, to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for trafficking a lady for prostitution.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment, said he found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt concerning each allegation in the eight-count change.
The judge consequently sentenced Ms Omomoh to two years and six months imprisonment, each in counts one, three, five and seven, without an option of a fine.
The judge also sentenced her to counts two, four, six, and eight to five years imprisonment, each without an option of a fine. He ordered that all the jail terms run concurrently, effective February 3.
Mr Ekwo observed that Ms Omomoh’s denials in the face of her evidence-in-chief as first defence witness (DW1) only exposed her “as a barefaced liar, a crooked and dishonest human being.”
According to the judge, to even have the audacity to stand in court and deny the statement she made voluntarily to the police shows how depraved she is.
“The evidence also exposes her as being in the business of procuring young vulnerable women like Miss Cynthia Omoieke for prostitution abroad.
“People like the defendant must be taken out of the society for good. I, therefore, make an order convicting the defendant of the charge In counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 as charged. This is the order of this court,” the judge ruled.
The inspector general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, had, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2019, named Omomoh the sole defendant.
In the eight-count amended charge dated Oct 24, 2022, the police chief alleged that the defendant Ms Omomoh and Oyomiya Lamidi (now at large), sometime in 2011 in Lagos, conspired between themselves to commit the offence by recruiting and transporting Cynthia Loveth Ese Omoieke to Italy through the United Kingdom using deception and abuse of position of vulnerability.
The offence is punishable under Section 27 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration (TPPEA) Act, 2015.
In count five, she and Ms Lamidi, sometime in 2011 in Lagos, conspired to commit an offence by organising and facilitating the foreign travel of Ms Omoieke to Italy through the UK, which travel promoted prostitution and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27 of the TPPEA Act, 2015.
Ms Omomoh, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and the prosecution called two witnesses to establish a case against her.
