Niger opposition leader sentenced to one year in prison for alleged baby trafficking

Niger’s opposition leader Hama Amadou was sentenced to one year in prison on Monday by the Niamey Court of Appeals for his involvement in international trafficking of babies.

Hama Amadou, runner-up in the 2016 presidential election and former prime minister was prosecuted for “complicity” but re-qualified as “child concealment”, according to the ruling.

He was arrested and in custody for four months after his return from exile November 14, 2015 and was evacuated for health reasons on March 16, 2016 in France a few days before the second round of presidential elections won by the incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou.

“There are remedies and we will exercise them,” said Boubacar Mossi, one of Hama Amadou’s lawyers.

Hadiza Amadou, one of Hama Amadou’s wives, was also sentenced to “one year in prison”, according to Nassirou Laouali, one of the defendants’ lawyers.

Hadiza Amadou had already been imprisoned from June to December 2014 in the same case and then released on parole.

A former agriculture minister, Abdou Labo, was also sentenced to a year’s imprisonment while several defendants were sentenced to five years in prison.

All the accused were imprisoned and then released on parole. Hama Amadou is currently in France.