A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted Benedicta Usen, also known as Mrs. Carol Omomoh, to a five-year imprisonment without an option of fine for trafficking a woman into prostitution. Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered the verdict on Monday, after the prosecution proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Omomoh was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for each of the charges under counts one, three, five, and seven, and five years for the charges under counts two, four, six, and eight. The sentences will run concurrently, starting from February 3, 2025.
Justice Ekwo harshly criticized Omomoh’s testimony, calling her a “barefaced liar” and a “crooked and dishonest human being” after she denied her earlier statements made to the police. The judge described her actions as depraved, noting that she had been involved in exploiting vulnerable young women like Miss Cynthia Omoieke for prostitution abroad.
The case stemmed from an incident in 2011 when Omomoh and her accomplice, Mrs. Oyomiya Lamidi (who remains at large), deceived and trafficked Miss Omoieke to Italy through the United Kingdom, with the intention of forcing her into prostitution.
Despite pleading not guilty, Omomoh was found guilty on all counts, with the court emphasizing the severity of her crime under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. The judge concluded that Omomoh’s actions warranted a firm sentence, reinforcing the need to protect vulnerable individuals from such exploitation
