Industrial Court in Jos Sentences Woman to Two Years’ Imprisonment for Child Trafficking
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Jos, has sentenced a woman identified as Victoria to two years’ imprisonment and imposed a ₦250,000 fine after finding her guilty of child trafficking. The court also ordered that her name and photograph be entered into the National Trafficking Offenders Register and directed that she be placed under correctional monitoring after serving her sentence.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Ibrahim Galadima of the Jos Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court. The conviction was based on the provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, following the defendant’s trial on a one-count charge of human trafficking. Victoria had pleaded not guilty and was earlier granted bail in the sum of ₦5 million, with one surety who was required to be a public servant not below Grade Level 14 and to own landed property.
During the trial, the prosecution told the court that investigators received intelligence about a child trafficking operation involving the defendant. Acting on the information, security operatives arrested her in Anglo D, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. The prosecution alleged that in June 2024, Victoria attended a prayer meeting conducted by Pastor Dayo, where she met several children and expressed interest in adopting one for her childless sister.
According to the prosecution, Victoria eventually took custody of four children and transported them to Abia, Enugu, and Lagos States without following the lawful adoption process or obtaining the consent of their biological parents. Investigators later recovered the children and handed them over to the Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs, after which they were reunited with their families.
The defence argued that the prosecution failed to prove that the children’s parents did not consent to the adoption. Counsel for the defendant maintained that Victoria neither exploited the children nor subjected them to forced labour, slavery, or any form of bondage. It was further argued that the incident amounted to nothing more than a failed adoption process and not child trafficking. The defence also contended that if trafficking had actually occurred, other persons allegedly involved, including a lawyer, should also have been charged.
The prosecution, however, insisted that it had established the offence beyond reasonable doubt. It argued that the defendant procured the children through Pastor Dayo, transported them across state lines without lawful authority, and made payments that were connected to the unlawful transfer of the children rather than a legitimate adoption process.
In his judgment, Justice Galadima held that the evidence before the court clearly showed that the children were taken under false pretences, money exchanged hands, and no valid adoption process was initiated or completed. The court found that there was no documentary evidence of any adoption proceedings, no receipts, no court application, and no adoption order to support the defendant’s claims.
The judge stressed that the Child Rights Act places adoption under judicial supervision and does not permit individuals or religious organisations to privately arrange the transfer of children. He observed that the defendant’s belief that Pastor Dayo operated an adoption ministry could not legalise an unlawful process, adding that the involvement of a lawyer, without evidence of any court-approved adoption, did not excuse the conduct.
Justice Galadima further held that where children are transferred from one person to another after the payment of money, without parental verification, judicial approval, or lawful authority, the court cannot ignore the exploitative nature of such conduct. He stated that such actions expose children to serious risks and undermine their dignity, welfare, and protection under the law.
The court also clarified that it had jurisdiction to hear child trafficking matters under Section 254C of the Constitution, noting that offences involving child trafficking, child labour, and child abuse fall within the constitutional jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court. The judge consequently found Victoria guilty as charged, sentenced her to two years’ imprisonment, imposed a ₦250,000 fine, and ordered that her details be entered into the National Trafficking Offenders Register in accordance with the law.
