By Ese Awhotu with agency report
A Gauteng Judge in South Africa has jailed two Nigerian brothers in Pretoria for human trafficking.
The IOL, a South African newspaper, reports that, the convicts, who ran a brothel in Arcadia, Pretoria, are Obioma Benjamin Abba, 32, sentenced to 12 years and Chinedu Justine Obasi, 38, sentenced to 18 years.
According to the report, Judge Tolmay admitted that a life sentence was mandatory in such cases ”if there were no mitigating factors”.
However, the judge said the duo were first time offenders. Also, he said the brothers had spent more than two years in jail, awaiting trial.
He explained that, although two women who worked as prostitutes for the brothers were exposed to a lot of trauma, they were already in the sex trade and hooked on drugs when they were recruited.
The judge, said the brothers kept the women captive in the flat in Arcadia, from where they had to work as prostitutes.
But two prostitutes earlier told the court of their harrowing life on the streets, while their pimps (convicts) ”kept them hooked on drugs.”
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
