Nigerian Woman Busted in UK for Trafficking Up to 40 Girls for Prostitution in Europe (Photos)

Franca Asemota, accused of trafficking at least 40 children and young adults into Europe

A 38-year-old Nigerian woman, Franca Asemota, known to her victims as Auntie Franca, reportedly used Heathrow airport as a hub to traffic at least 40 teenage children and young adults into Europe.

Dailymail UK reported that a jury was today that the female trafficking boss used witchcraft to round up and terrify dozens of teenage orphans from Nigeria before selling them into prostitution in Europe

The woman who is accused of luring mainly orphans from remote Nigerian villages with the promise of jobs and education, uses witchcraft, threats, and s*xual violence to ensure they did as they were told before being sold to the s*x industry in Europe.

Franca's notorious trafficking first came to light when Border Agency officials stopped two groups, one in September and one in November 2011, travelling on false passports. Although she was not arrested at the time, Asemota's ticket had been booked at the same time, at the same travel agent in Lagos, and she was sat next to the group on the plane.

Investigators then linked Asemota to six other 'successful trafficking trips' and the kidnapping of two girls who had been placed in foster care on the south coast. The two girls were spirited out of the country to Spain but one girl's fake passport was spotted and she was returned back to Britain.

This allowed investigators to trace Asemota to Nigeria from where she was deported to face trial where she was spotted today, wearing a pink jumper with her hair tied back, and weeping in the dock as Paul Cabin outlined the prosecution's case.

Cabin said the three people were first stopped at Heathrow and said: 'They held consecutively issued tickets and were all carrying passports that stated they were all over the age of 18.

'The passports were suspected to be false. They were refused permission to board the aircraft and were arrested on suspicion of identity card offences. Asemota was travelling on the same Air France flight, but was not stopped or apprehended.'

The woman is accused of using Heathrow as hub in luring mainly orphans from remote Nigerian villages

On a later flight in November, a male and a female passenger were also stopped. 'Asemota was booked on the same flight and was also detained because the authorities were able to see that all of their tickets had been booked at the same time.

'She denied any involvement and was eventually released. The two passengers detained at Heathrow were arrested and both were interviewed under caution.

'Both were charged and prosecuted, initially. The male was subsequently deported back to Nigeria. The girl was in fact revealed to be just 14 years old.

'She eventually told the prison authorities her real age and proceedings against her were discontinued and she was placed in the care of social services. All five victims, from both trips, eventually gave video or audio recorded accounts to the UK authorities.

'They all came from remote Nigerian villages and had all been told that they were going to be educated, trained, employed in France. They all had difficult histories - for example, some were orphans. One was a runaway from an attempted forced marriage.

'All but one reported at the time that they had been trafficked by a female who accompanied them on the aircraft from Lagos, known variously as Auntie Franca or Violet.'

Cabin told the court that some victims were 'told they could be trainee hairdressers.' It was only when they had travelled 'a long way from their villages were they told they were really destined for a life of prostitution,' jurors heard today.

He added: 'Asemota is linked to six other trafficking trips, which were successful, in that the group successfully transited at Heathrow for France.'

These trips, Cabin said, all took place within a few months of each other at the end of 2011, and involve 40 victims. It also emerged that two girls stopped by officials had been placed in foster care in Worthing, East Sussex, in February 2012.

Many of the children were from rural areas of Nigeria

  

'They settled in well and both went to a nearby secondary school. They had both been detained at HMP Bronzefield after their arrests and may have met each other there, but obviously from this point on they were in close contact and became friends. On April 6, 2012, both girls were reported missing by their foster carers,'Cabin said.

Both had said they panned to go shopping but switched off their phones and failed to return home. Five days alter one was returned back to the UK from Spain after travelling on afake passport.

'Tragically, the other girl got through Spanish immigration and was thought to be lost forever,' Cabin added.

In interview, the girl explained that on the day of their disappearance her friend had been taking a lot of phone calls before they were picked up by two men in a car. They were given new phones and detectives saw the girl's had been in contact with a man who was arrested. His phone contained contact details for Asemota.

'From 2012, the investigation team concentrated on trying to track down Asemota. They achieved their goal in 2015, when it was discovered that she was in Nigeria.

'An extradition warrant was issued to the Nigerian authorities and the defendant was arrested on March 25, 2015 in Nigeria. She was extradited to the UK on January 27, 2016,' Cabin said.

Asemota denies nine counts of conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual exploitation, two counts of trafficking persons out of the UK for s*xual exploitation, and three counts of assisting unlawful immigration.

The trial continues.

Source: DailyMail UK