A 48-year-old Nigerian woman who has been wanted in Italy since 2010 was on Wednesday flown from Abuja to Rome where she has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Jeff Joy was one of the few women on Italy’s most wanted list, Italian police said in a statement, describing her as a prominent figure in the Nigerian mafia.
The extradition was facilitated by a treaty signed by Nigeria and Italy in 2020.
She was arrested in Nigeria on June 4, 2022, on an international warrant issued by Italy and charged with crimes including criminal conspiracy, enslavement, trafficking in people, exploitation of prostitution and other offenses.
Italian investigators said she played a leading role in trafficking women to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, where they were forced into prostitution by violence and threats.
She had been convicted in her absence and her transfer to Italy only meant she was going to start her jail sentence.
Video released by the Italian police showed the woman being flown from the Nigerian capital Abuja to Ciampino airport in Rome where she was taken away in a wheelchair.
