Tina Amanda
A Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced a 47-year old woman, Lois Chikanale Iwuchukwu Obazi to ten years imprisonment for child trafficking.
The accused was convicted on a two-count charge of conspiracy, stealing of babies and trafficking.
She was said to have committed the crime in 2018, around School Road Igwuruta, in Ikwerre Local Government Area with a fake identify.
In her ruling on Thursday, Chief Magistrate Felicita Amanze, sentenced Chikanale Iwuchukwu Obazi to three years imprisonment on count one and seven years on count three, which will run concurrently.
Chief Magistrate Amanze found Chikanale Obazi guilty for actually buying the triplets for the sum of nine hundred thousand naira, claiming to have delivered them in two different days in a maternity home at Igwuruta.
The Chief Magistrate pointed out that it was impossible for the accused to have travelled down from abroad to give birth to triplets in Nigeria and nurse them in a hotel room as claimed.
She further ruled that Prosecution were unable to prove count three which bordered on unlawful separation of the children from their parent, but proved count one and count two beyond reasonable doubt.
Chief Magistrate Amanze described the convict as a pathological liar who deserved no mercy, and ordered her to remain in Police custody pending when the Correctional Service will open for admission of inmates.
Counsel to the Convict, Chris Nwadigo, in an interview with our correspondent Tina Amanda, described the judment as based on sentiments as there was no material evidence shown to the conviction of the jury, stressing that they will appeal the judgment.
On her part, Anthonia Osademe, who stood on behalf of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) to prosecute the case, said the judgment is well served as FIDA is against all forms of child trafficking.
She said further that the judgement will serve as a lesson to all women involved in child trafficking act, as the law will continue to catch up with them one after the other.
