The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime investigation has secured hefty sentences for Samson Alichi (36), Lewis Onyebuchi Okoye (38) and Anell Arendorf (26) in the Gauteng North High Court, Johannesburg on Tuesday. The trio has been behind bars since their respective arrests during August and September 2020. They were consequently charged for contravening the Trafficking In Persons Act (TIP), Sexual Offences Act, kidnapping, fraud, forgery and uttering. Alichi and Okoye were additionally charged for contravening the immigration Act for being in the country illegally.
The trafficking in persons Hawks team responded to call of distress from a young lady who had been enticed to come to Gauteng from the Eastern Cape. The victim was approached through Facebook by Okoye in the guise of pursuing a romantic relationship. They fell in love overtime, or at least that is what the victim thought. Okoye convinced her to join him in Gauteng for a better and affluent life that he reportedly often displayed on social media platforms. On Thursday, 20 August 2020 the victim arrived in Johannesburg Parkstation to meet her lover after he sent her the bus fare.
Upon arrival at Okoye’s residence in a secure complex along Cedar road in Fourways. The victim was shocked to see scantily dressed ladies going in and out of the unit’s bedrooms with different men. At this stage the victim wanted to leave as she was concerned of her wellbeing. Okoye forced her to stay against her will. She stayed overnight and managed to summon for help the following day using another person’s cell phone. The Hawks responded at the address to rescue the victim who was unharmed.
Arendorf who was caught red-handed with a client and Alichi were immediately arrested on the spot after the victim narrated her ordeal and the fact that they tried forcing her to take drugs. Okoye was however not in the premises. He was later traced and arrested the following month. Several bail applications by the trio were opposed successfully culminating in their conviction on 11 July 2022 and their recent sentencing. The investigation put the trio at centre of operating and running a brothel in the rented premises where they submitted forged credentials for the lease agreement. Both Alichi and Okonye received individual sentences of 36 years each, the court has ordered that they are to be deported to their country of origin after they spend 12 years in jail. Arendorf from Cape Town, who has a child with Okoye, is set to spend five years in prison as all sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Towards the end of the trial Arendorf claimed to have also been a victim.
The Gauteng Provincial Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Major General Ebrahim Kadwa has lauded the team for the excellent ruling. “We need to commend the investigating officer and prosecutor for securing this stellar sentence for trafficking networks who are profiting from human misery. Trafficking in persons exists, people should be wary of trusting people whom they do not personally know particularly on social platforms”. He said