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A London woman who sent her teenage son to their native Nigeria because she disapproved of his lifestyle has been jailed for eight months, the BBC reported.

Edirin Onogeta-Idogun, 17, from Newham, flew from the UK to Nigeria last July.

His parents Lydia Erhire and John Idogun were issued with a court order to return the boy, who is believed to be with his father in Lagos.

When they failed to do so, Mrs Erhire was convicted at the Old Bailey of being in contempt of court.

Edirin was born in Nigeria but moved to London with his mother seven years ago.

He had been studying for his GCSEs and had been due to transfer to a college in Hackney to study business and media.

Last year he feared he may be taken to Nigeria and forced to marry against his will, his solicitors said, and a Forced Marriage Protection Order was issued on 8 July.

He attended school for the final time on 12 July and it is thought he flew to the African country about four days later.

The High Court ruled Edirin was a resident of England and was entitled to continue to live there.

Photo:Missing: Edirin Onogeta-Idogun, 17, claims he was beaten and forced to undergo exorcisms because his mother disapproved of his lifestyle

His removal from England was contrary to the protection order and he was at “significant risk” while in Nigeria, it decided.

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The mother of a teenager who claims he was forced to undergo exorcism to purge him of his disobedience has been jailed.

Lydia Erhire has become the first person in the UK to be jailed under forced marriage laws after Edirin Onogeta-Idogun, 17, was sent to Nigeria on holiday and is still there.

He claims he has been subjected to beatings and religious-style ceremonies in the African country to get rid of his behaviour which his mother did not approve of.

Erhire is a devout Christian who had tried to instil a strong sense of discipline in her child and does not approve of his lifestyle, the court heard.

The 17-year-old is still being held against his will – and it is unclear exactly where he is, the High Court in London was told.

His mother was ordered to have her son brought back to Britain but she obstructed efforts and was jailed for eight months yesterday.

Edirin had flown out to Nigeria, where his father John Idogun is a special adviser to the governor of the Delta State, in July.

The teenager, from Newham, east London, was expected back in August to start a college course in Hackney.

He had been given a protection order under forced marriage laws by a judge last year and provided with emergency accommodation before he disappeared.

Mrs Justice Macur said: 'Edirin told his litigation team he had been forced or subjected to procedures which were meant to exorcise him from his disobedience to the will of his parents and to remove him from what they regarded as unsatisfactory friendships.'

In November, after a hearing before another judge, Mrs Erhire signed a letter instructing her sister to facilitate the return of Edirin from his Nigerian boarding school.

But it later emerged that she had immediately sent another letter countermanding the demand.

In February, Edirin attempted to leave Nigeria but was intercepted by immigration officials and taken off his British Airways flight from Lagos.

Mrs Justice Macur ruled Mrs Erhire was not responsible for the February incident but had found she was complicit in November in ‘thwarting’ the court's efforts to have Edirin returned.

Members of the Urhobo tribe appeared before the court and said that his mother was concerned he would become involved in gangs.

The teenager was issued with a Forced Marriage Protection Order last July because he feared he was going to be sent to Nigeria for an arranged wedding.

Jailing the mother for contempt of court, the judge said: ‘I am not satisfied that she is truly remorseful for the imperilment of Edirin's welfare..

‘I am not satisfied that she has shown any indication of a willingness to co-operate on anything but her own terms.

‘The chronology has shown beyond peradventure that this woman only co-operates in the face of a prison sentence and then begrudgingly.’

She ordered that Mrs Erhire should be committed to Holloway Prison immediately for eight months, but said she would have the opportunity to apply to purge her contempt.

The student, who was due to study business and media after finishing his A-levels, came to Britain with his mother in 2004 and had settled in Newham.