Texas couple Emmanuel and Ngozi Nnaji sentenced to 55 years for holding Nigerian woman In forced servitude
Special to USAfricaonline.com and CLASSmagazine
AHN/Fort Worth/Arlington area: A federal North Texas jury found Emmanuel Nnaji and Ngozi Nnaji guilty of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude, alien harboring and false statements. The two each face up to 55 years in prison.
According to the Justice Department, the Nnajis had enticed a Nigerian widow to work in the United States as their servant. They promised the woman a salary and support for her six children.
The couple obtained fake immigration documents, withheld these and other documents from the woman, and forced her to work long hours in their home with no days off, little or no pay and no support for her children. They used a scheme to keep the woman from making contact with the world outside the home, prohibited her from regularly attending church and monitored her communications with her family in Nigeria.
The Justice Department said evidence at trial proved that Emmanuel Nnaji sexually assaulted the widow and made her fearful of informing authorities.
“Holding other human beings in servitude against their will is a violation of human rights that will not be tolerated in our free society,” Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the department’s civil rights division, said in a statement.
“This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combating human trafficking in all its forms, vindicating the rights of trafficking victims and bringing human traffickers to justice,” Perez added. By Kris Alingod, AHN contributor.
I sympathize with this couple, but how could they have been so silly, didn't they know about the American history? or know that what they were doing was known as slavery? I personally don't buy into these master and servant philosophy, it's all over Africa and I find it disgusting, people should cut their coat according to their sizes, they should have had 2 kids instead of 6, knowing they wouldn't be able to care for all 6.
How about the victim? who speaks for her? How much is your freedom worth? 55 years?
Unfortunately, our culture falls within those where the line between service and servitude is grossly blurred; and we conveniently cross that line in favor of the latter with alacrity.
I will assume that this couple, in all probability, went home and paid for this woman to come to the United States. Apparently, in so doing, they felt they are entitled to her life. Nothing short of preposterous! Slavery was wrong then, when it was dealt to us from without, it is even outrageous in today's consciousness, and meted from within, there are no words to qualify it.
Human dignity is uncompromisable, and demands appropriate remuneration for work done. If it were not the law, it would be immoral, making it hard for anyone of upstanding character to circumvent.
If the story is true, I will be compelled to withhold my pity for another occasion when they may be deserving of it.
The sentence is very appropriate for those couples, i really wonder how people lose their human conscience. Just think of the trauma that lady will go through.
slavery will not be tolerated.
If only we had our house in order, we may have been able to testify and explain to this Judge and the Prosecuting Attorneys our culture and how so many os uf are begged every day to bring them voer for assistance. I don't know this couple and really don't care to meet them, but, we have all lost. I have always told everyone that i have the opportunity to talk to, DONT do it. Manage like others and if you must have maid, hire them here and pay them in accordance with the law.
Sorry day for the children who may now have to be handed over to Child Protective Services.
Ndo for Igbo land.