A high court sitting in Benin City, Edo State have sentenced a popular socialite, Felicia Osaigbovo aka Mama Masha, to 12 years in prison for human tr@fficking.
Justice Geraldine Imadegbelo, who sentenced the convict, also fined her the sum of N24 million.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in a statement on Tuesday, October 3, said Felicia Osaigbovo, a 62-year-old member of a human tr@fficking syndicate, was involved in the recruitment and trafficking of 12 Nigerian girls to Belgium for s+xual expl%itation.
According to the statement, 12 collaborators, including three of the convict’s children, have already been convicted in Belgium.
“The case against the convict commenced on July 1, 2021, with a 24-count charge that included assisting the activities of persons engaged in tr@fficking in persons and organizing foreign travels that promote pro$titution, in viol@tion of the Tr@fficking in Persons Prohibition Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPPEA), 2015.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all counts. The prosecution presented three witnesses, including a Belgian Chief Inspector of Police and submitted 13 exhibits as evidence.
Following a thorough trial, the court found the convict guilty on all 24 counts, leading to a sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of N24 million,” the statement reads in part.
