A High Court in Kano State has sentenced six people involved in child trafficking to a total of 120 years in prison. They were found guilty of kidnapping and selling children who were all under 10 years old.

These suspects were first arrested in 2019. The trial, which lasted six years, has now ended, bringing justice and public attention to the issue of child trafficking in Nigeria.

According to LIB, the children were taken from Kano in 2014 and later sold in Onitsha, a city in Anambra State.

The six people sentenced are Mercy Paul, Ebere Ogbono, Emmanuel Igwe, Loise Duru, Monica Oracha, and Chinelo Ifedigwe. They were convicted for hiding crimes, helping others commit crimes, kidnapping, and child trafficking.

The leader of the group, Paul Onwe, was earlier sentenced in July 2021 to 104 years in prison after he admitted to 38 charges. Unlike him, the other six denied the charges and went through a full trial.

Justice Zuwaira Yusuf, who handled the case, declared all six guilty and sentenced them without any option of paying a fine.

Mercy Paul got 55 years in prison, Ebere Ogbono received 41 years, Emmanuel Igwe and Chinelo Ifedigwe each got 9 years, Loise Duru got 6 years, and Monica Oracha was sentenced to 5 years.