Italian police said Wednesday that a Nigerian woman wanted in Italy since 2010 was brought back from Abuja to Rome, where she was sentenced to 13 years in prison for crimes including running a prostitution ring.
Police said in a statement that Joy Jeff, 48, was one of the few women wanted in Italy and described her as a prominent figure in the Nigerian mafia.
According to the statement, the extradition procedure was facilitated by a treaty signed by Nigeria and Italy in 2020. She was arrested on June 4, 2022, in Nigeria on an international arrest warrant issued by Italy.
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Italian investigators in the eastern city of Ancona said Jeff played a key role in smuggling women to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, where violence and threats forced them into prostitution. I was convicted in her absence.
A video clip released by Italian police shows the woman being transported from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to Rome Ciampino Airport, where police took her away.
“Africa today is a strategic location when looking for fugitives and fighting organized crime,” said Vittorio Rizzi, an Italian police chief responsible for international coordination.
