A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has cleared the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Mr Innocent Bola-Audu and three others, of criminal allegation of human trafficking.
Justice Charles Agbaza, discharged and acquitted Bola-Audu and three others on the ground that the prosecution failed to link the defendants with the offence.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) had dragged four civil servants before the court over their alleged involvement in human trafficking in 2021.
The workers were the Chief Accountant on Grade Level 14, Innocent Bola-Audu, and an Assistant Executive Officer on Grade Level 13, Cecilia Aneke.
The defendants pleaded not guilty after they were arraigned on July7, 2021 and were subsequently granted bail.
The defendants through their counsels filed a motion for no-case submission. After parties argued their briefs of argument, the court adjourned the case for ruling.
In his ruling, the judge held that, the prosecution has not clearly been able to link the defendants with the charge brought against them and 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.
He subsequently discharged and acquitted the defendants.
Source:channelstv.com