Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
A Nigerian couple in Texas is charged in relation to enslaving their Nigerian nanny from Sept. 29, 2013, through Oct. 10, 2015, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, October 20th in the Houston Federal courtroom.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said Sandra Nsobundu, 49, pleaded guilty to unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of forced labor, while her husband, Chudy Nsobundu, 57, pleaded guilty to visa fraud.
For two years, the couple, who are naturalized U.S. citizens, forced the woman to work without her passport and visa. the Nsobundus also knowingly enforced a scheme to cause the woman to believe that failure to perform the labor services would result in serious harm. They also threatened abuse of law and the legal process.
The woman was not paid and her movement was restricted to the Nsobundus' residence or two short walks a day with the children. The Nsobundus also frequently yelled at, scolded and berated the woman for moving too slowly or failing to care for the children in the manner they wanted. The Nsobundus also threatened to send the woman back to Nigeria if she didn't comply with their labor demands.
The Nsobundus falsified the visa application for their nanny when she came to the United States from Nigeria. They lied about her age, her reason for travel and her marital status, among other things. They also hid the fact that she would be working for the family as a housemaid and nanny under conditions not in compliance with U.S. labor laws.
After getting the woman's visa, the Nsobundus paid for the woman to get to the United States from Nigeria. Once here, Sandra Nsobundu took the victim’s passport and copies of her bank statement with the intent to violate the forced labor statute.
The victim was rescued Oct. 10, 2015 following a tip to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.
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