A Nigerian couple has been sentenced to life in prison in South Africa for human trafficking.
According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), they were also found guilty of running a brothel.
Jude Ijegulu, 34, and Elizabeth Botes, 29, received their sentences from the Pretoria High Court.
Ijegulu received two life sentences for two counts of rape, plus an additional two years for being in South Africa illegally.
Prosecutors revealed that Ijegulu and Botes operated a brothel in Centurion from November 2016 to September 2017, where they held two women captive.
Lumka Mahanjana, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, stated, “The man raped the two women, provided them with drugs, and physically and sexually assaulted them.”
The couple also forced the victims to provide sexual services to clients.
The judge determined that the couple violated the Human Trafficking Act, enslaved the victims, and kept them addicted to drugs.
The court has ordered that Ijegulu’s name be added to the national register of sexual offenders.