Pretoria Court Upholds 18-Year Sentence for Nigerian Convicted of Human Trafficking, Fraudulent Marriage
The Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, has affirmed both the conviction and the 18-year sentence imposed on Nigerian national, Chinedu Justice Obasi. The judgment, delivered on Wednesday, upheld his earlier conviction for human trafficking and for contracting a sham marriage aimed at securing permanent residency.
According to Independent News Eswatini, Mr. Obasi was initially convicted in December 2017 on three counts and handed his sentence in September 2018.
The offences comprised two counts of harbouring women for purposes of exploitation, and one count relating to a fraudulent marital union.
Evidence before the court revealed that between April and September 2016, Mr. Obasi accommodated two women, identified in proceedings as Busisiwe and Puleng, in a Pretoria apartment. It was alleged that during this period, he coerced them into prostitution.
The prosecution further proved that he seized the proceeds of their work, supplied them with narcotic substances, and exercised tight control over their movements, monitoring them constantly to avert any escape.
The fraudulent marriage count dated back to 2005, when Mr. Obasi married a South African woman but never cohabited with her. The court held that the union existed solely as a means for him to acquire lawful residency status in South Africa.
The record showed that Busisiwe first encountered Mr. Obasi in December 2015, while Puleng was introduced to him via Busisiwe in May 2016. Both women eventually came under the joint control of Mr. Obasi and an associate, who continued their exploitation.
On appeal, the defence argued that the trial court failed to give due consideration to Mr. Obasi’s personal circumstances and did not adequately weigh the totality of the evidence before reaching a verdict.
Justice Graham Moshoana rejected these contentions, underscoring that the appellant declined to testify in his own defence during the trial. The court characterised the facts as a textbook example of “modern-day slavery.”
In his judgment, Justice Moshoana observed that human trafficking thrives where individuals are vulnerable owing to poverty, lack of education, and desperation. Victims, he noted, are frequently abused, manipulated, and disoriented, with trafficking occurring for sexual exploitation, forced labour, and other illicit purposes. With the appeal dismissed, Mr. Obasi will serve out his 18-year custodial term.
