A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Badagry, Lagos, has ordered the remand of two women, Loveth Christian (25) and Damilola Basiru (17), for allegedly trafficking two minors to Ghana and selling them into modern-day slavery.
According to court proceedings held on Thursday, May 8, the accused were said to have committed the crime on April 26 in the Ajara Agamathen area of Badagry at around 1:30 p.m. The victims, aged 18 and 15, were reportedly transported across international borders without consent and forced into exploitative conditions.
Prosecuting officer Inspector Ayodele Adeosun told the court that the women violated Sections 276 and 411 of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015. Due to the severity of the charges, the court declined to take their pleas and directed that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
Chief Magistrate N. A. Layeni ordered that both suspects be remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre. The matter has been adjourned until June 30, pending the DPP’s decision.
This case is one of several recent incidents highlighting the growing concern over human trafficking in West Africa. In a related matter, a court in Ghana recently convicted two Nigerians for trafficking women from Nigeria into prostitution.
