The Takoradi Circuit Court “A” on Wednesday sentenced Elizabeth Inaba Love, a 41-year- old Nigerian hairdresser based in La Cote d’Ivoire, to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for human trafficking.

The accused pleaded guilty. Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Alice Parker-Wilson, said on September 30 this year, the accused recruited seven young women between the ages of 20 and 25 years from the Delta State in Nigeria to practice prostitution in La Cote d’Ivoire.

She said on October 7, the accused and the women arrived at Elubo in a Ford vehicle from Aflao. Chief Inspector Parker-Wilson said the accused and the women got stranded at the border due to the closure of part of the border.

She said in an attempt to cross the border through an unapproved route, a Nigerian Evangelist and a member of Nigerian Diaspora Organization in La Cote d’Ivoire, intercepted them.

Chief Inspector Parker-Wilson said during an interaction, the member of the Nigerian Diaspora Organization identified the accused person as somebody being wanted by the organization for trafficking 15 young women three years ago.

She said the accused person and the women were arrested and during investigations, it came to light that the women were the third batch of young women the accused person had trafficked from Nigeria to La Cote d’Ivoire.

Chief Inspector Parker-Wilson said in her cautioned statement, the accused person admitted trafficking the young ladies for a fee to find them hairdressing work in La Cote d’Ivoire but not for prostitution. After further investigations, the accused person was charged, the prosecutor said.