A 31-year-old Nigerian man, Mr. Okolo Chukwuadibia Jackson, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Kweikuma Gender Circuit Court in Takoradi.
The court, presided over by Her Honour, Naa Amerley Akowuah, convicted Mr. Jackson on two counts of human trafficking and illegal entry.
In a statement signed by the Western Regional Public Affairs Officer, Inspector Moses Manford Akakpo.
The statement said, ” On Tuesday, 12th March 2024, the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service, led by its Regional Prosecutor, Senior Inspector Terah Allou, arraigned a 31-year old Nigerian, Mr. OKolo Chukwukadibia Jackson, before the Kweikuma Gender Circuit Court, in Takoradi, presided over by Her Honour, Naa Amerley Akowuah, on two counts of Human Trafficking and Illegal Entry”
“The accused was convicted on his own plea, contrary to sections 2(1)/(2) of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005(ACT 694) as amended by section 1(1) of the Human Trafficking Act, 2009 and the section 2(1), and 52(1)(D) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (ACT 573) respectively.”
It further said, “Mr Okolo Chukwukadibia Jackson, was then sentenced to ten years (10yrs) imprisonment with hard labour for trafficking a 16-year-old girl and other three females from Onitsha, Anambra State, a fine of five hundred penalty unit (GHC1,200.00) and in default, serve additional six months term.”
The Regional Prosecutor, Senior Inspector Terah Allou presenting the case in court, said, the accused entered the country illegally in the year 2021 and has since remained so until his arrest at Aboi Nkwanta, Asankrangwa, in the Western Region.
According to the 16-year-old victim rescued, one Madam Ela, one of the accomplices of the primary suspect recruited them in Nigeria under the guise of sending them to her brother, the primary suspect, in Dubai to serve as sales girls.
Investigations revealed that, an amount of Six Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand Two Hundred Naira (N668, 200) was sent by the accused from Ghana to the said Madam Ella, to cover the cost of their recruitment, lodging, feeding, and transportation from Onisha, Anambra State, to Asankrangwa in the Western Region.
The victims arrived in Lagos on the Sunday, 11th February, 2024 through an agent and handed them over to a driver referred to as IK, who accommodated them for the night. On the next day, IK put the rescued victim and the other three Nigerian girls into his car and brought them to Accra on Tuesday, 13th February, 2024.
On the night of Thursday, 15th February, 2024, I.K, arranged for Asankrangwa bound bus for the victims and gave Mr. Okolo Chukwukadibia’s contact number to the driver to arrange for the victims to receive to call upon arrival.
Immediately after the accused had received them on the morning of Friday, the 16th of February, 2024, he singled the innocent 16-year-old girl out by taking her to a shrine to swear with an egg to the effect that, she will never run away.
Read Statement below
–GIS
