Josephine Iyamu used juju rituals to terrify young women from Nigeria before trafficking them to Europe. NCA
Josephine Iyamu used juju rituals to terrify young women from Nigeria before trafficking them to Europe. NCA
Josephine Iyamu used juju rituals to terrify young women from Nigeria before trafficking them to Europe. NCA
Josephine Iyamu used juju rituals to terrify young women from Nigeria before trafficking them to Europe. NCA

London-based 'juju' trafficker told to pay up or face extra jail time


Paul Peachey
  • English
  • Arabic

A nurse in London who was jailed for using African juju rituals to force Nigerian women into sexual slavery in Europe has been told to hand over nearly £184,000 ($242,700) or face more prison time.

Josephine Iyamu recruited vulnerable women from villages and persuaded them to pay up to £31,600 for "better lives" in Europe but instead forced them into prostitution in Germany to pay off their debts.

She organised priest-led rituals based on an ancient African belief system in powerful deities that left the women fearful of dying or being left childless if they spoke out against the traffickers who had brought them to Europe.

Iyamu, 54, was in 2018 sentenced to 18 years in jail in the first conviction under modern slavery laws of a British citizen for offences committed abroad.

An investigation was launched after German police identified one of her victims working in Trier, south-west Germany.

Iyamu was arrested after she flew to Britain from Nigeria in August 2017. She tried to track her victims from prison to intimidate them into silence.

But five women gave evidence against her after they were shown a video by prosecutors of a priest conducting a “reverse-juju” ceremony. It persuaded them to speak out against the human smuggling operation led by Iyamu.

Iyamu – who was known as Madame Sandra – was this month handed a confiscation order of nearly £184,000 to claw back some of her criminal profit. If she fails to pay the money within three months, she will serve an additional two years in prison, the UK’s National Crime Agency said.

Police said she had made “hundreds of thousands of pounds” from the trafficking operation. She owned a large house in Benin City, Nigeria – the centre of the racket – where she employed staff.

“Josephine Iyamu specifically targeted vulnerable women and put them through the most horrific experience, only to profit considerably form their misery,” Kay Mellor of the NCA said.

“Iyamu was calculated, manipulative and motivated by money. Not only is she serving a hefty prison sentence, but she won’t be living a luxury lifestyle when she comes out.”

Iyamu had positioned herself as a powerful woman in Nigeria and had run the people smuggling operation using the cover of a political campaign to empower women and their families.

The juju ceremonies were designed to cow the victims into silence with smoke and showmanship from priests who charged $250 a time, said Andy Desmond, a former officer in Scotland Yard’s anti-trafficking unit.

Nigeria’s own anti-trafficking unit has championed the practice of reverse-juju ceremonies to persuade the terrified women to speak out.

Some victims had previously been brought back to Nigeria to attend ceremonies before returning to Spain to give evidence against traffickers,

A series of cases linked to Benin City prompted the local ruler to place his own curse on traffickers in a move that had an immediate effect on the operations of the criminal gangs from the area, charities say.

Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%20turbo%204-cylinder%20%2F%202.0%20turbo%204-cylinder%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20148bhp%20%2F%20328bhp%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20250Nm%20%2F%20420Nm%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20TBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars

Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nabil%20Ayouch%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nisrin%20Erradi%2C%20Joud%20Chamihy%2C%20Jalila%20Talemsi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

TEAMS

US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*

International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day 
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*

denotes captain's picks

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: March 24, 2022, 1:37 PM`