Abuja Court orders extradition of fugitive, Franca Asemota, to the UK (Photo)

Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja,ordered the extradition of one Franca Asemota, a Nigerian fugitive whose extradition was sought by the United Kingdom for offences bordering on trafficking of minors.
Ms. Asemota, 36, is wanted by the UK government for trafficking of minors to Europe through London.
She was accused of allegedly organising a network that trafficked young women, mostly teenagers, from remote Nigerian villages into Europe using Heathrow airport as transit hub.

The girls were promised education or jobs such as hairdressing in countries, including France and Spain, but were forced into prostitution.
On arrest, checks on her profile revealed that she had been on the wanted list of the National Crime Agency of the UK.
When the case came up on Monday, January 11, Ms. Asemota’s counsel, Ugochukwu Ezekiel, prayed the court to grant his client bail to enable her seek medical attention as she had spent almost a year in custody.
At the resumed sitting, Justice Kafarati granted the extradition request and ordered that the accused be extradited to the United Kingdom to face trial for the charges filed against her.