Nigerian woman jailed in Italy for prostitution

Nigerian national Joy Jeff has been extradited to Rome where she will serve a 13-year jail term for operating a prostitution ring in Italy. Jeff had been declared wanted since 2010 for charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, enslavement, trafficking in people, exploitation of prostitution and other offences. A Reuters report on the Vanguard site confirmed that Jeff was among the few women on Italy’s most-wanted list, with the Italian police describing her as a prominent figure in the Nigerian mafia. According to a statement released by the Press Office of the Italian National Police on Wednesday, investigations into Joy’s crimes date back to 2007, when she oversaw cross-border prostitution business among Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. A treaty signed by Nigeria and Italy in 2020 facilitated the extradition. She was arrested in Nigeria on 4 June 2022, on an international warrant issued by Italy. ‘Today, Africa is confirmed as a strategic area for the search for fugitives and the fight against organised crime. Although, in Italy, street prostitution is lawful, the law frowns upon organised prostitution in the manner that Jeff had perpetrated it in the country.