Posted by Africans In America News Watch, New York on
Information reaching us indicates that 70 years old Nigerian woman stranded victim of human trafficking, Mrs. Marthina Okeke (Aka, Mrs. Stella Marthina Okereke) has filed a $315,782.26 civil suit against members of Mbadiwe family in New York, United States for 12 years of unpaid hard labor.
New York, June 10, 2008--Information reaching us indicates that 70 years old Nigerian woman stranded victim of human trafficking, Mrs. Marthina Okeke (Aka, Mrs. Stella Marthina Okereke) has filed a $315,782.26 civil suit against members of Mbadiwe family in New York, United States for 12 years of unpaid hard labor.
In the lawsuit filed in United States Federal Court, the stranded and poor Mrs. Okeke is claiming the amount for services she provided the Mbadiwe family from 1988 to 2000.
According to Africans In American News Watch investigations; the Mbadiwe family is one of the few household names that influenced, controlled and ruled corrupt oil-and-minerals-rich Nigeria for a very long time.
Both the slave, Mrs. Marthina Okeke (Aka, Mrs. Stella Marthina Okereke) and the powerful Mbadiwe are from Arondizuogu, part of the old Aro kingdom in Nigeria famous for 15th to 20th century Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
This is probably the first time a very prominent politically-connected and mega-rich Nigerian family is being sued for human trafficking.
This is probably the first time a Nigerian victim of human trafficking is suing a very prominent politically-connected and mega-rich Nigerian family as perpetrators of human trafficking in United States court.
This Mrs. Marthina Okeke suite raises some very serious questions:
a). Are Nigerian leaders actively involved in human trafficking?
b). Is her case an isolated incident, or, just a tip of the iceberg?
c). Is Marthina Okeke the only person trafficked and exploited by this group, or are there others?
d). If there are others, where are they now?
Human rights activists in United States and other related agencies in Nigeria, United States, United Nations, including international bodies are watching Marthina Okeke case very closely.
The law firm representing poor Marthina Okeke has been described as one of the biggest and best law firms in United States.
This case may open up Pandora's Box, and possibly change the dynamics of global war against human trafficking.
Africans In American News Watch will monitor this interesting case which has high-level international implications and report as more facts and details of events unfurls.
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