A Kano State High Court has sentenced six members of a notorious child abduction syndicate to a combined 120 years in prison for their roles in abducting and trafficking children under the age of 10.

 

 

 

The syndicate was arrested in 2019, and the final judgment has brought to a close a six-year-long trial that shocked the public and drew attention to child trafficking in Nigeria.

 

 

 

 

The children were abducted from Kano in 2014 and sold in Onitsha, Anambra State.

 

 

 

 

The convicts-Mercy Paul, Ebere Ogbono, Emmanuel Igwe, Loise Duru, Monica Oracha, and Chinelo Ifedigwe-were found guilty of concealment, abetment, kidnapping, and trafficking of minors.

 

 

 

The syndicate leader, Mr. Paul Onwe, was previously sentenced to 104 years in July 2021 after pleading guilty to 38 counts. The six co-defendants, however, pleaded not guilty and were subsequently tried.

 

 

 

Justice Zuwaira Yusuf, who presided over the case, found all six guilty as charged and sentenced them to various prison terms without the option of a fine.

 

 

 

She sentenced Mercy Paul to 55 years imprisonment, Ebere Ogbono to 41 years, Emmanuel Igwe to 9 years, Loius Duru to 6 years, Monica Oracha to 5 years, and Chinelo Ifedigwe to 9 years.