Archive : Africa

The Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday adjourned a human trafficking case against the director of Salex Tannery Company Ltd, Salim Alasad (60), until today because Magistrate Ilvin Mgeta, who presides over at the case, was having other official duties.

The Liberian farmer, Alfred Collins, who trafficked an eleven year old boy from Liberia into the country to sell has been convicted by the Accra Circuit Court. The Court however deferred his sentence until the 15th of this month while the victim is to be sent to the Osu Children’s Home until his parents are located.

A United States Department of State’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report has found that Swaziland was a source, destination and transit country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking, domestic servitude and forced labour in agriculture. The report published in June last year states that Swazi girls, particularly orphans, were subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude in the cities of Mbabane and Manzini, as well as in South Africa and Mozambique. The Trafficking in Person (TIP) report is regularly published by the department after assessing each country’s performance and efforts to combat the human trafficking scourge.

Personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at Sogakope on April 20 this year, rescued two teenage girls allegedly being trafficked from Aflao to Accra by a Nigerian. This was made possible when the driver of the bus on which the girls were travelling with the trafficker became suspicious and alerted the GIS officials. The girls were named as Sena Afisu and Vera Maabla Ampomah both aged 15. The suspect, named as Patrick Ezeh, 28, was said to be resident in Lome.

Six men appeared in the Musina Magistrate's Court on Monday on suspicion of human trafficking, Limpopo police said. The six men, Fafidali Ali, 36, Aschaldi Alimo, 27, Malgesku Store, 29, Mandeni Sorach, 22, Eshgu Shesr, 26 and Keede Alimo, 34, were not asked to plead, said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

Police at Twifo-Praso in the Central Region have arrested a 33-year old mason who attempted to sell his elder brother for alleged ritual purposes. Peter Adzohu was picked whilst negotiating with police officers who feigned interest in the supposed deal at Dwenda in the Twifo-Hemang Lower Denkyira District. He was offering John Ahama, a palm wine tapper for 20 thousand Ghana cedis.

A notorious human trafficker, simply identified as Ngozi, was arrested by policemen attached to Awada police division in Onitsha on Wednesday. Also arrested were seven other members of the syndicate, including a nurse, who acted as an intermediary between the traffickers and the buyers. According to a police source who pleaded anonymity, the traffickers had an operational base in Okigwe, Imo state, from where the gang leader (Ngozi), came to Onitsha to steal children after luring them with gift items.

The police in Onitsha, Anambra, has smashed a syndicate that specialises in stealing and selling children, an official said on Wednesday. The police also arrested the alleged leader and seven other suspects, including a nurse, Mr Emeka Ejide, the director, Anambra Ministry of Women and Social Development, told newsmen on telephone. Ejidesaid that the fight against human trafficking in the state would be sustained and commended the police for a successful operation. However, Mr Emeka Chukwuemeka, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra, said he had yet to be briefed on the matter.

Just a day after police in Kigali announced a crackdown on a suspected ring trafficking young girls to Asian countries, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has agreed to boost cooperation to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and to improve border management. In addition to enhancing coordination, the IOM has signed an agreement in Vienna with the United Nations anti-crime agency as the two agencies seek to further information exchange and to extend joint activities.

Rwandan police Saturday said they had warned China over a possible human trafficking ring involving mainly women. “There are signs pointing to the trafficking of young people, especially girls” to China, Rwandan police spokesman Theos Badege told AFP. Chinese authorities had been informed, he added.