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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Court jails Ogun woman 45 years for child trafficking

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • A 29-year-old woman, Eniola Adedeji, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for trafficking a minor for sexual exploitation in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
  • The Federal High Court found her guilty on nine of the ten charges, with sentences running concurrently.
  • The conviction follows a previous case where a man received a 12-year sentence for trafficking two minors.

A Federal High Court in Abeokuta has handed down a 45-year prison sentence to Eniola Adedeji, a 29-year-old woman convicted of trafficking a minor for sexual exploitation in Cotonou, Republic of Benin. Adedeji was arraigned on ten charges related to human trafficking offenses but was found guilty on nine, with each count carrying a five-year concurrent sentence.

On the 5th of June, 2026, NAPTIP, Ogun State Command, secured the successful prosecution and conviction of one Eniola Boluwatife Adedeji, female, 29 years old, before the Federal High Court, Abeokuta Judicial Division, in connection with the trafficking of one minor for sexual exploitation in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

— Bose JimohAnnouncing the conviction of the defendant for human trafficking.

The conviction was announced by the Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Ogun State Command, Bose Jimoh. Adedeji was arrested on August 18, 2024, by the Nigeria Police Force in Abeokuta and subsequently faced trial before Justice A. J. Adeyemi. The trial commenced in March 2025, culminating in the judgment delivered on June 5, 2026.

The court convicted Adedeji on counts 1 through 8 and count 10 of the charge, discharging her on count 9. Her conviction was based on violations of various provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. All sentences are to be served concurrently.

The defendant was arrested on 18th August 2024 by officers of the Nigeria Police Force at Adigbe, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice A. J. Adeyemi of Court 2, Federal High Court, Abeokuta, on 24th September 2024.

— Bose JimohProviding details on the timeline of the arrest and arraignment.

This case highlights the ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking in Nigeria. It follows a recent sentencing where Chukwuemeka Iheamama, 27, received a 12-year prison term for trafficking two minors, identified as Bright Edim and Mary Ekong, both 15 years old, for exploitation. Iheamama was tried on a three-count charge and received sentences totaling 12 years, along with fines, all to run concurrently.

The defendant was convicted for offences contrary to several provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, with all sentences ordered to run concurrently.

— Bose JimohExplaining the legal basis for the conviction and the nature of the sentence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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