Kaduna court sentences 25-year-old woman one year imprisonment for attempted human trafficking
A state-high court in Kaduna has sentenced 25-year-old woman Jennifer Markus to one year’s imprisonment for attempting to transport another person for exploitation, in a case brought by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The offence was found to contravene Section 13(2)(c) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration) Act, 2015. The judgment was delivered on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, by Hon. Justice Isiaka Abdullahi of the State High Court.
Jennifer Markus had been arraigned on May 12, 2025. The prosecution argued that she attempted to transport a person for the purposes of exploitation, and the court found it proven beyond reasonable doubt. The one-year custodial sentence reflects the conviction.
The case underscores the Nigerian effort to prosecute human-trafficking offences more vigorously. The legislation sets out significant penalties for trafficking, though this one-year term is at the lower end of sentencing guidelines. Observers may debate whether the sentence sufficiently acts as a deterrent.
