A 41-year-old Cameroonian man identified as Wamba Jean-Gaston, has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Kano for trafficking three young women and four men from Cameroon enroute Nigeria to Europe.
The three female victims are; Belinga Ovanda, 19; Koussene Agnes, 21; and Meye Uwono, 27; while the male victims are; Thomas Ange, 21; Ovanda Rodrigue, 21; Boris Kouass, 20; and Yannick Poudjom, 18.
Jean-Gaston was convicted on Wednesday, January 26, by Justice Abdullahi Muhammed-Liman after he had pleaded guilty to the two-count charge levelled against him.
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Liman who expressed his concern over the implication of the convict’s conduct to general regional insecurity affecting many countries, described his act as a calamity and hazard that could befall not only the victims, but could contribute to banditry and kidnapping.
The Counsel to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr Abdullahi Babale, told the court that the convict was arrested in Kano on Dec. 10, 2021.
According to Babale, the convict was arrested with the seven victims on their way to Algeria on December 10, 2021.
He further explained that the Jean-Gaston was illegally processing entry documents for the trafficked persons to travel to Algeria and Europe through Nigeria and Niger Republic, without having a resident permit or visa.
The counsel said the offence was contrary to, and punishable under Section 26 (1) of Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement Act, 2015.
