Okolo Chukwukadibia Jackson, a 31-year-old Nigerian national, has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor imprisonment for human trafficking by the Kweikuma Gender Court near Sekondi, Daily Guide Network reports.
Jackson pleaded guilty to charges of human trafficking and illegal entry, leading to his sentencing by Her Honour Naa Amerley Akowuah.
He was arrested for trafficking a 16-year-old girl and three other females from Onitsha, Anambra State. Jackson was arraigned by the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service, with Senior Inspector Terah Allou serving as the Regional Prosecutor.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court also fined Jackson 500 penalty units, with a default option of an additional six months in jail.
According to the prosecution, Jackson entered Ghana illegally in 2021 and remained in the country until his arrest in Aboi Nkwanta, Asankrangwa, Western Region. The 16-year-old victim revealed that Madam Ella, an accomplice of Jackson, recruited them in Nigeria under false pretenses of sending them to Dubai as sales girls.
Investigations uncovered that Jackson sent money to cover the victims' recruitment, lodging, feeding, and transportation from Onitsha to Asankrangwa.
The victims arrived in Lagos on February 10, 2024, and were then transported to Accra on February 13, 2024. On February 15, 2024, they were arranged to be taken to Asankrangwa, with Jackson's contact given to the driver for contact upon arrival.
Jackson then took the 16-year-old victim to a shrine, where she was forced to swear not to disclose her ordeal or face dire consequences. She was then taken to a brothel and forced into prostitution, with all proceeds going to Jackson. Despite this, the victim managed to escape and seek help from the Ghana Immigration Service.
Upon receiving the report, C/Supt. Kwabena Agyei arranged the rescue of the remaining victims and the arrest of the perpetrators. Jackson admitted to sending the other three victims to another accomplice, Madam Gifty, in exchange for GH¢8,500.00.
The Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service has intensified efforts to apprehend the rest of the syndicate and rescue the other three Nigerian girls, placing their investigative machinery on high alert across the region.
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He was arrested for trafficking a 16-year-old girl and three other females from Onitsha, Anambra