Court Remands Daughter, Mother Over Alleged Child Labour

  A Lagos Federal High Court has remanded a 25-year-old lady, Nwobi Olubube Favour, and her mother, Nwobi Ebele Angela, 55, for allegedly using two underage girls as domestic servants. 

The trial Judge, Justice Abimbola Awogboro remanded the duo, after they both pleaded not guilty to the four counts charge of harbouring and using two underage girls (name withheld), for domestic works, made against them by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The two women, who live in B 41, Abijoh GRA, Chois Garden Estate Lekki, Lagos State, were alleged to have committed the offences between May and November 2023.

The prosecutor, Uzunwa I. Egonu, a Senior Legal Officer with NAPTIP, while arraigning the two defendants, informed the court that their unlawful and exploitative actions had exposed the two teenagers to physical, social, and psychological development.

Apart from allegations of child labour made against the two defendants, NAPTIP also arraigned them on another two counts charge of assaulting two officials of the agency.

The NAPTIP officials allegedly assaulted by the two defendants were: Ederibhalo Ajiegbe Elvis and Trust Oluwaseun Adekoye while performing their official duties.

The defendants allegedly assaulted the two officials on March 12, at the agency’s office situated at No. 165b, Oba Ladejobi Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

During the assault of the agency’s officials, the two defendants allegedly took their laptop and an iPhone 8.

The prosecutor also told the court that the defendants’ actions contravened sections 23(1)B 23 (2)B and 32(2)(b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, and were punishable under the same section of the Act. 

The daughter and mother pleaded not guilty to all the count's charges.

Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date, while also urging the court to remand them till the determination of the charge.

However, their lawyer pleaded to the court for a short date, for their bail applications to be filed.

Consequently, Justice Awogboro while adjourning the matter to May 7, for trial, ordered that both the daughter and mother be remanded at the Kirikiri female section of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), pending when their bail applications shall be heard and determined