A Federal High Court in Calabar has sentenced a 55-year-old man, Etteokon Ntuen, to one year imprisonment for harbouring and exploiting a 15-year-old girl.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which prosecuted the case, told the court that the convict deceived the victim’s parents with a promise to take their daughter to Lagos for proper schooling and better opportunities.
The agency said that instead of fulfilling the promise, Ntuen kept the girl in Calabar, where he exploited her.
The court found him guilty under Section 13(2)(b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Delivering judgment on April 29, 2026, Justice L. I. Ojukwu sentenced the defendant to one year in prison.
The court also ordered him to pay ₦300,000 as compensation to the victim and to tender a written apology to her and her family.
NAPTIP said the judgment would serve as a deterrent to individuals involved in trafficking or exploitation of minors under the pretext of offering educational opportunities.
