Anambra woman jailed 21 years for child labour

Success James, 35, was sentenced to prison on Wednesday by a magistrate’s court in Awka, Anambra State, for child labor and kidnapping young girls for prostitution in the region.

Genevieve Osakwe, the presiding magistrate, found James guilty on seven of the eight charges that were brought against him.

James was found guilty, and Osakwe, who handed down the sentence, sentenced her to five years in prison for count one, five years in prison for count two, two years in prison for count three, four years in prison for count four, two years in prison for count five, and two years in prison for count eight.

Osakwe added that there shouldn’t be a fine option and that all sentences should run concurrently.
In December 2022, the convict was found in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was charged with kidnapping four teenage girls from Akwa Ibom State and using them as slaves. The case was heard in Awka.

On December 23, 2022, representatives of the state Ministry for Women and Social Welfare eventually came to the four teenage girls’ rescue.

The victims claimed they were abducted by the suspect, who promised to arrange employment for them in Agbor, Delta State, where they would be selling drinks in a beer parlor. However, when they arrived, they learned that the work they had been brought for was prostitution.

Ify Obinabo, the state’s commissioner for women and social welfare, responded by expressing happiness over the ruling and revealing that the kids had been enrolled in school and were also taking classes at the state skills acquisition center in Awka to learn the skills of their choosing.