CALABAR, Nigeria – A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a 55-year-old man, Etteokon Ntuen, to one year in prison for harbouring and sexually exploiting a 15-year-old girl.
Delivering the judgment on April 29, 2026, Justice L. I. Ojukwu found the convict guilty of contravening Section 13(2)(b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
The prosecution was carried out by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). According to the agency, Ntuen deceived the victim’s parents by offering to take their daughter to Lagos for a proper education and better life opportunities. Instead of fulfilling this promise, he kept the teenager in Calabar, where he proceeded to sexually exploit her...READ FULL STORY; FROM THE SOURCE.
In addition to the one-year custodial sentence, the court ordered Ntuen to pay ₦300,000 in compensation to the victim. He was also mandated to submit a written apology to the victim and her family. Alternative reports indicate the court offered a fine option of ₦250,000 in lieu of the prison term.
The ruling has, however, drawn criticism from child protection advocates. The Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), a non-governmental organisation, described the sentence as “grossly inadequate, noting that the relevant law prescribes a minimum penalty of seven years for such offences. The group has called on NAPTIP to appeal the judgment.
The conviction comes months after the same judge, Justice Ojukwu, sentenced two individuals for the attempted sale of a 12-year-old girl in Calabar, handing down a 12-month prison term with an option of a fine in that case as well.
