The Kimberley District Court in the Northern Cape, South Africa, has denied bail to Adeyefa Adedamola Adetoye, a 38-year-old Nigerian man.
In a statement released on Friday, December 1, 2023, the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Northern Cape Division, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, revealed that Adetoye is being charged with human trafficking, assault, rape, and forced rape, as well as possession of illegal drugs and being an illegal immigrant.
After the law enforcement agencies got information about the accused’s breaches, they launched an intelligence-driven multidisciplinary operation under the direction of the DPCI, Organised Crime, Intelligence, and other specialised units within the South African Police Service, which resulted in the accused’s detention.
Two victims were discovered in his room at one of the chain motels in Kimberley when he was being arrested.
The victims, a 29-year-old woman and a 17-year-old teenage girl, told the police they had been transported via human trafficking from the Gauteng metropolis of Johannesburg to the Northern Cape city of Kimberley.
That they had been locked in the hotel room and prostituted as sex workers by the accused. The police also found illegal drugs in the room belonging to the accused during their search.
During his bail application, the court heard that the accused who is from Nigeria, does not have legal papers to be in South Africa as his permit expired in 2018. That he did not have a fixed address where he could be located and that he could be a flight risk.
The court also heard how the victims were lured by the accused and trafficked and exploited for sex work from one place to another. The case has been postponed to 30 January 2024, and the accused will be remanded in custody until his next court appearance.
Investigations led by the Directorate Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) are continuing in this matter. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes this decision by the Kimberley District Court to deny the accused bail as the country continues to celebrate 16 Days of Activism.
Issued by:
Mojalefa Senokoatsane
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Northern Cape Divisio