A Nigerian national Jeff Joy, who had been included in a list of the 100 most dangerous fugitives in the world, has been extradited to Italy to serve her 13 years prison sentence following her arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the investigations carried out from 2006 to 2007 by the Flying Squad of Ancona, Joy played a key role in facilitating the exportation of Nigerian girls to Holland, Italy and Spain for prostitution with the use of violence and threats of all kinds, also extended to family members who remained at home.
Video released by the Italian police showed the 48-year-old woman who was arrested on June 4, 2022, being flown from the Nigerian capital Abuja to Ciampino airport in Rome where she was taken away in a wheelchair by police.
An international warrant for Joy’s arrest was issued by Italy and her extradition was facilitated by a treaty the country signed with Nigeria which came into force in 2020.
The extradition procedure, launched immediately after the arrest of Joy last year, passed a first step with the favorable decision issued by the judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, followed by an official confirmation from political authorities during a meeting that took place on 10 February.
During the meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami reportedly informed the Italian Ambassador Stefano De Leo of the decision to hand over Jeff Joy to the Italian authorities.
This extradition is, therefore, the first pilot case in the implementation of the treaty between both countries, and Joy has been described by the police as a prominent figure in the Nigerian mafia.
The Central Director of international police cooperation Vittorio Rizzi, said African countries are strategic locations when looking for fugitives and also represent elective places for the laundering of illicit funds from organised crime.
“Africa today is a strategic location when looking for fugitives and fighting organised crime,” said Vittorio Rizzi, an Italian police chief responsible for international coordination.