Sophia Michaels
The other three defendants, who were also on bail, are the Accountant on Grade Level 15, Femi Adesina, and the Assistant Executive Officer on Grade Level 14, Chukwuemeka Ike.
The case was first brought to the attention of the NAPTIP in 2021 after the four civil servants were nabbed and arraigned in court by the agency.
The agency had alleged that they were trafficked to Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
The four were later cleared of the charge by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama.
The presiding Judge, Justice Charles Agbaza, said the prosecutor failed to link the defendants with the human trafficking offence. Hence, they were all discharged and acquitted.
The four civil servants were some time ago in 2021 nabbed and arraigned in court by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) but pleaded not guilty on July 7 and were granted bail.
After arguments and counter arguments by the prosecution and defence counsels, even as a no-case submission was filed by the defence counsel, Justice Agbaza ruled that the prosecutor failed to link the offence with the defendants.
The Judge held: “The prosecution has not clearly been able to link the defendants with the charge brought against them. I find it difficult to come to terms with the prosecution on the charges and in his argument against the defendants.
“There is no evidence before this court linking the defendants with the offence. The prosecution failed to establish a case of human trafficking against the defendants.”
