Joy Jeff, a Nigerian woman who had been declared wanted since 2010, has been extradited to Rome to serve a 13-year jail term for operating a prostitution ring in Italy. According to Italian Police, Joy had been charged with criminal conspiracy, enslavement, trafficking in people, exploitation of prostitution, and other offenses.
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. Investigations into Joy’s crimes date back to 2007 when she oversaw the cross-border prostitution business in Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.
The extradition was facilitated by a treaty signed by Nigeria and Italy in 2020. Joy was arrested in Nigeria on June 4, 2022, on an international warrant issued by Italy.
Investigators in Ancona, Italy’s easternmost city, said Jeff was a key figure in trafficking women to Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, where they were forced into prostitution through violence and threats. Although in Italy, street prostitution is lawful, the law frowns upon organized prostitution in the manner Joy had perpetrated it in the country.
Joy’s extradition to Rome highlights the importance of international cooperation in the fight against organized crime.
According to Vittorio Rizzi, the European country’s Deputy Director General of the Department of Public Security and Central Director of Criminal Police, Africa is confirmed as a strategic area for the search for fugitives and the fight against organized crime.
Rizzi added that developing African countries also represent elective places for the laundering of the illicit capital of organized crime, and Italy is committed at an international level to facilitate the tracing of the illicit assets of the mafias for their seizure and confiscation.
Joy’s extradition to Rome marks the end of a long legal battle that spanned over a decade. The Italian police hailed the extradition as a major victory in the fight against human trafficking and organized crime.
The actions committed by Joy, which consisted of trafficking women across borders and coercing them into prostitution through violent means and threats, represent a flagrant breach of fundamental human rights. By extraditing her, a resounding message is sent to other members of organized crime that they will face consequences for their conduct.
Joy’s extradition to Rome on Wednesday has put an end to her criminal enterprise and sent a clear message to other human traffickers and criminals that their actions will not go unpunished. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation in the fight against organized crime.
While it is true that street prostitution is legal in Italy, organized prostitution that involves the trafficking and exploitation of individuals will not be tolerated. Joy’s case serves as a warning to others involved in such criminal activities that they will face the full force of the law.