A Nigerian national was handed a 30-year jail term for human trafficking in the Durban Regional Court on Tuesday. National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said that Emmanuel Uche Odii was handed the sentence following his conviction in August on two counts of human trafficking, two counts of kidnapping, one of rape, one of sexual assault, one of assault and one of running a brothel.
His South African accomplice, Bonginkosi Shange was handed a five year jail term for two human trafficking charges, while his Nigerian accomplice, William Ojiaku, was handed a two year jail term for kidnapping that was suspended for five years.
During the trial, the court heard that in 2010, a 19-year old woman was lured to Pretoria on the pretext that she would be offered a job as a domestic servant. When she arrived in Pretoria, she was sexually assaulted and raped by Odii. He then took the woman to another flat where she was told she would have to prostitute herself. When she refused, she was kept locked up in the flat.
A second woman was offered a job to take care of Odii’s Pretoria flat in 2010 while he was out of town. Once she arrived, the 18-year old was threatened and forced to smoke rock cocaine. The drug, however, had such a negative impact on her health that she was later hospitalised.
Ramkisson-Kara said: “We are pleased that the courts are taking a firm stance against crimes of this nature. Trafficking in persons is a global problem and members of the public need to be cautious and educate themselves.”
Source: Africa News Agency
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