Illegal Nigerian national and partner sentenced for human trafficking
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A high Court in Tshwane has handed down two life sentences plus 18 years to an illegal Nigerian national whobwas found guilty of human trafficking.
NPA’s Lumka Mahanajana said that the 34 years old Jude Ikenna Ijegulu lured women in false presences of giving them jobs while he knew that he wanted to kidnap and use them at his brothel in Centurion.
Working together with a 29 years old Elizabeth Botes, she was given 40 years direct imprisonment for having a hand in human trafficking, six years direct imprisonment for two counts of keeping a brothel and 10 years for the services of a victim of trafficking.
It is said that Ijegulu was running a brothel with his partner Botes in Centurion when he fetched a 26-year-old complainant in the matter from Rustenburg, where she was held captive and supplied with drugs by unknown Nigerian nationals.
On their way to the brothel, Ijegulu stopped at a friend’s house near his brothel, when they arrived at the house, Ijegulu followed the complainant to the bathroom where he raped her.
In a separate incident, Ijegulu bought a second complainant in the matter who was 22 years old at the time from another Nigerian national, McDonald in Rustenburg and also took her to the brothel under the impression that she would be working as a housekeeper. Both complainants were held captive between November 2016, to September 2017.
“During that time, the two were raped, supplied with drugs, physically and sexually assaulted by Ijegulu. Botes and Ijegulu also instructed the victims to render sexual services to clients. On 18 September 2017 while Ijegulu was sleeping the two victims escaped from the brothel.”
They immediately contacted an NGO which provides shelter for victims of human trafficking and they were fetched at their hiding place.
He was arrested a year later on July 2018 after being lured in by one of the victims in Centurion while Botes was arrested a month later in August at one of Ijegulu’s rented properties.
They both pleaded not guilty to the charges in court.
Ijegulu claimed that the victims were already drug addicts by them time he met with them and there is not much he has done to violate them while Botes said she was forced to partake in the criminal act because she was scared of Ijegulu.
“Through his legal representative, Ijegulu asked the court not to impose the prescribed minimum sentences on the charges preferred against him because he is a first offender, and the victims were in a homely environment in his house.”
In handing down the jdugement, Judge Porti Phalane said the two perpetrators showed no remorse in their acts and as a result, no remorse should be shown when sentenced.
