A Nigerian national, Augustine Omini Obono, has been sentenced to three life terms for sexually exploiting a 12-year-old girl in South Africa.
Obono, 44, was sentenced for human trafficking, rape, statutory rape, and the sexual exploitation of a minor girl in the Gauteng High Court in Benoni on Thursday, April 29.
Obono, who has been in custody since 2016 following his arrest, was also slapped with seven years for keeping the victim in a brothel and an additional three years for kidnapping the minor.
According to the police, on 3 September 2016, the minor was at a recreational park in Derdepoort when she met a woman, who asked her to accompany her to a flat in Sunnyside, Pretoria.
The woman told the girl she would meet Obono, who was unknown to the victim at the time. The woman promised the minor that she would be given transport money to go to Mamelodi the following morning.
When they arrived at the flat, the woman handed the minor over to Obono. The minor was subsequently sexually exploited and forced to work as a prostitute.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Obono kept the victim in his flat, against her will, for three months.
Oboni demanded that the child make him money by prostituting herself. When she refused. he assaulted and raped her repeatedly. He allegedly locked her up sometimes without food and supplied her with drugs to get her addicted so he could control her.
"During that period, Obono fed the minor drugs and forced her to have sex with between five to six men a day. In December 2016, the victim managed to flee and went to her uncle's place in Mamelodi," Mahanjana stated.
"When she arrived, she informed her uncle about her ordeal. The uncle reported the matter to the police. The victim pointed out the flat where she was kept against her will. When police arrived at the flat, they found Obono and arrested him," Mahanjana said.
The minor is currently undergoing counselling.
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