Felicia Osaigbovo, 62, better known as Mama Masha, has been convicted of human trafficking by Benin High Court Justice Geraldine Imadegbelo. The socialite received a 12-year prison sentence and an N24 million fine.
This was the result of the defendant’s successful prosecution of the accusation by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP.
During the trial, it was revealed that Felicia Osaigbovo was a member of a human trafficking gang that recruited and trafficked 12 Nigerian girls to Belgium for sexual exploitation.
This verdict comes on the heels of the convictions of 12 collaborators, including three of the convict’s children, in Belgium.
The convict was charged with assisting the activities of persons engaged in human trafficking and organizing foreign travels that promote prostitution at her arraignment on July 1, 2021, in violation of the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Enforcement and Administration Act, TIPPEA, 2015.
The defendant, on the other hand, rejected the claims leveled against her.
The prosecution, on the other hand, called three witnesses, including a Belgian Chief Inspector of Police, and offered 13 items as proof.
Following a rigorous trial, the court found the offender guilty on all 24 counts, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence and a N24 million fine.
In response to the verdict, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, Director General of NAPTIP, expressed gratitude to the judiciary, emphasizing that it represented an appropriate and serious punishment.
Prof Waziri-Azi praised the Belgium Police Authorities, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the UK National Crime Agency under the Joint Border Task Force Initiative, and UNODC for their combined efforts in ensuring justice for victims.
Remember that when the Director General took office in September 2021, she promised to prosecute high-profile traffickers aggressively.
This new accomplishment demonstrates NAPTIP’s desire to send a strong message to those responsible for this horrible murder.
“NAPTIP shall continue working tirelessly to ensure a safer and better society,” affirmed the Director General.
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