Court remands driver for forcing woman into prostitution

A Magistrates’ Court on Friday ordered that a 32-year old driver, Savior Dabo of Bam Bam village, Makurdi, who the police accused of kidnapping and forcing  a 22-year- old woman, Helen Ijir into prostitution be be remanded in prison.

The Magistrate, Mr P.S Chaha adjourned the matter until Nov 21, for further mention as the plea of the accused could not be taken for want of jurisdiction.

Police charged Dabo with three counts of criminal conspiracy, abduction and trafficking in women.

The prosecutor, Mr Godwin Nev told the court that the mother of the victim, Mrs Juliana Ijir of Behind Modern Market, Makurdi reported the matter at the ‘D’ Division Police Station on Sept 7, 2018.

Nev said that Helen’s mother reported her daughter missing.

Nev said that after a search, on Sept 15, Helen called her from Ouagadougou, alleging that the accused took her there to work for him.

The prosecutor said that the accused forced the victim into selling her body.

He said that the victim was able to escape from the  men that the accused forced her to live with.

The prosecutor informed the court that the accused person was  later arrested when he came back home.

According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened  the provisions of Sections 97 and 283 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004 and Section 3(2) of the Abduction, Hostage Taking, Kidnapping, Secret Cult and Similar Activities Prohibition Law of Benue, 2017.