A 23-year-old Nigerian woman from a village near
Benin City thought she was being given an opportunity to get an education and a
job in the UK. However, her dreams were dashed when she found out she was taken
to a foreign land to become a sex slave.
Her family had struggled financially ever since her father died in
2008, but it was her dream to become a nurse.In February 2011, a woman from her village named, Beneditta offered to help her pursue this dream by sending her to England to attend school and secure a job.
She was informed that the cost of travelling, relocation, education, and finding employment for her would be £40,000 – which she would have to repay to the organisers.
Because life had been challenging for her and her family since the death of her father, she was eager to take advantage of what seemed like a golden opportunity. Also, she reportedly had no idea what the Naira equivalent of £40,000 was, and didn’t think it would be a big deal to pay back the “loan.”
Before departing from Nigeria, she was
allegedly raped by one of the “organisers” of the trip and forced
to undergo a black magic ‘juju’ death ritual to prevent her from running
away.
Three members of an international prostitution
ring: Olusoji Oluwafemi, 44, Johnson Olayinka,
45, and Florence Obadiaru, 48, are the alleged culprits.
Today, they were convicted of trafficking the woman into the UK for sexual
exploitation and arranging for her transfer to Italy, Daily Mail reports.
The gang reportedly fooled the
victim into flying to Heathrow Airport on a fake passport. However,
their plan to sell her into sex slavery in Italy began to unravel when Italian
authorities spotted her forged ID and sent her back to the UK.
After immigration officials detained her, she
narrated her ordeal to them, leading to the arrest of the three aforementioned
individuals.
It is believed the woman is just one of many
victims of the group, based in Africa, that trafficks young women through
England to work as prostitutes in mainland Europe.
The judge presiding over the case stated
that custody is inevitable for the culprits. Sentencing has
been adjourned until July 11th.
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