A 33-year-old woman named Moradeke Adeoti has been given a three-year jail sentence with hard labour. She was found guilty of abusing a child.
She was taken to court on November 29, 2024, and charged for making her 11-year-old cousin, Oyindamola Adeoti, sell goods on the streets.
During the trial, police officer Inspector Adeoye Adesegun explained that the crime happened on November 22, 2024, in Ado-Ekiti. He said the woman forced her cousin to hawk on the street, which is against the law.
The officer stated that her action went against Section 30 (2) of the Child’s Right Law in Ekiti State, which was created in 2019.
In court, the woman’s landlady, Madam Bosede Oso, was called as a witness by the prosecutor. She gave her statement during the trial.
Oso said
“the convict has been ill treating the little girl, her cousin, who was living with her, like a slave, while her children would be in school. The victim would be hawking pepper, palm wine and other things on the street and highway, especially, during school hours. I and other neighbours had warned her severally, but she refused to change. A man came sometimes ago to assist the girl by enrolling her in school, but the convict rejected the offer. On Nov. 24, 2024, we received the news that the girl was involved in a motorcycle accident around Omisanjana Area of Ado- Ekiti.
Eyewitnesses at the scene told us what happened, and that the girl had been rushed to the hospital. The matter was later reported at the police station,” she narrated.
To support the case, the prosecutor brought in one witness and also presented statements from the woman and the complainant, along with a hospital card, as evidence.
The woman’s lawyer, Mr. Opeyemi Esan, asked the court to be lenient. He said she did not know about the laws and rules that forbid sending children to hawk, especially during school hours.
Delivering judgment, the Magistrate said
“The defendant clearly confessed to giving the victim pepper and palm wine to hawk in order to raise money to enroll her in school. The prosecution has established the offence against the convict beyond reasonable doubt. I find her guilty as charged and I convict her accordingly. She is hereby sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour or an option of N20,000 fine in lieu of imprisonment”
