An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 33-year-old woman, Moradeke Adeoti, to three years in prison for child abuse and violating the state’s ban on child hawking.
Adeoti was arraigned on November 29, 2024, on a one-count charge of unlawfully engaging her 11-year-old cousin, Oyindamola Adeoti, in street hawking—an act prohibited under Section 30(2) of the Ekiti State Child’s Right Law, 2019.
According to testimony from her landlady, Bosede Oso, the victim was often seen hawking pepper and palm wine on the streets during school hours, while Adeoti’s own children were in school.
Despite repeated warnings from neighbors and even an offer by a Good Samaritan to enroll the girl in school, Adeoti allegedly refused to change her behavior.
The case gained urgency after the child was involved in a motorcycle accident on November 24, 2024, while hawking in the Omisanjana area of Ado Ekiti. She was hospitalized, and the incident was reported to the police.
The prosecution presented witness testimony, police statements, and a hospital card as evidence. In her defense, Adeoti claimed ignorance of the law and said she intended to raise money to send the girl to school.
Delivering judgment, Magistrate Olatomiwa Daramola ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt.
“She is hereby sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour or a fine of ₦20,000 in lieu of imprisonment,” the Magistrate declared.