The Director of Finance, Sokoto State Urban and Regional Planning Board, Ahmed Yahaya and two other staff of the Board have been arraigned over allegations of having sex with two minors in their offices.
The suspects were charged to court by the Sokoto Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The suspects were charged to the Federal High Court, Sokoto in a case with charge number FHC/7c/2020. One of the girls, a sachet water seller, simply identified as Maryam, is just 12-year-old, while the second girl, Nafisa is 16-year-old.
The Press Officer, NAPTIP, Mr Adekoye Vincent, said: “It would be recalled that operatives of NAPTIP arrested the three suspects namely Yahaya, 45, who is the Director of Finance, Ibrahim Isah 46, who is the Sokoto State Internal Auditor, and Habibu Abdullahi 40, who is the Special Assistant to the Director of Finance, about three weeks ago, for the alleged offence. The case was referred to the Agency by the National Human Rights Commission, Sokoto State Office after which the Agency swooped on the suspects.”
Vincent explained that details of the case revealed that sometimes in May, 2019, the victims came to the office of the suspects seeking financial assistance.
The suspects were said to have taken advantage of the victims and had sex with them one after the other, at different times, right inside their offices.
The last person that sexually violated the 12-years-old victim was the Special Assistant to the Director of Finance who, knowing that his boss was not around lured her into his office and sexually violated her. He thereafter gave her N300.00.
In the charge sheet dated February 17, 2020, the suspects were slammed with a seven-count charge all bordering on procurement for sexual exploitation contrary to Sections 16 (1), 27 (a) & 16 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
The charge reads: “ That you Ibrahim Isah, 46 years old, of No. 7 Aliero Road Runjin Sambo, Sokoto North Local Government Area of Sokoto State, sometime in May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, procured Maryam in your office at Sokoto Urban and Regional Planning Board (S.U.R.P.B.), you subjected her to sexual exploitation with yourself and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. That you Habibu Abdullahi, 40 years old of Bado, Hanya Dan Fari, Wammako Local Government Area of Sokoto State, sometime in May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, procured Maryam in your office at Sokoto Urban and Regional Planning Board (S.U.R.P.B.), you subjected her to sexual exploitation with yourself and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. That you Ahmad Yahaya, 45 years old of No. 3 Gwiwa Tanki Gwiwa Low Cost Housing Estate, Wammako Local Government Area of Sokoto State sometime in May 2019,within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court procured Maryam in your office at Sokoto Urban and Regional Planning Board (S.U.R.P.B.), you subjected her to sexual exploitation with yourself and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.”
The charge further stated that Isah, Abdullahi and Yahaya all conspired and subjected Maryam to sexual exploitation, thereby committing an offence punishable under Sections 27 (a)& 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
The charge also states: “That you Habibu Abdullahi, 40, ofBado, Hanya Dan Fari Wammako Local Government Area of Sokoto State sometimes in May 2019 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Courtprocured Nafisa, 16 years old, in your office at Sokoto Urban and Regional Planning Board (S.U.R.P.B.), you subjected her to sexual exploitation with yourself and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 16(1) of the Trafficking in Persons(Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.”
