Detectives in Agrigento in
Sicily have pulled together witness testimony from migrants who accuse Ogais of
torturing people held captive in a makeshift prison, with at least two men reportedly
dying in his hands.
The Nigerian human
trafficker known as “Rambo” has been arrested in Italy on charges of torturing
and killing migrants held captive in Libya, Italian police said Tuesday.
The suspect named John
Ogais, 25, was traced to a reception centre in Calabria in southern Italy and
clapped in cuffs on charges of belonging to a transnational smuggling ring,
specialising in human trafficking, murder and rape.
Many of those rescued from
flimsy dinghies in the Mediterranean as they try to make the perilous trip to
Europe bear torture scars and tell rescuers they had no choice but to flee for
their lives from the crisis-hit African country.
“While I was inside that
ghetto, where it was impossible to escape, I heard that a man who called
himself Rambo had killed a migrant,” one of the witnesses said according to the
police statement. “My cousin and others tried to escape but they were caught and
tortured nearly to death.”
Another said: “Once I saw
Rambo the Nigerian kill a migrant he had gagged and tortured for a long time.”
A third witness said he saw
Rambo beat an underage boy and a man to death.
– Extortion, murder –
Ogais was found staying at
a reception centre in Isola di Capo Rizzuto, one of the largest such centres in
Italy, and the scene of mass arrests last month over a mafia scandal which
capitalised on asylum seekers.
Libya has long been a
stepping stone for migrants seeking a better life in Europe and people
smugglers have stepped up their lucrative business in the chaos which has
engulfed the country since its 2011 revolution.
People rescued at sea have
described harrowing ransom situations in which captors lock up migrants and
demand their families send money to buy their freedom. Those who fail to comply
are executed.
Reports have also emerged
of ruthless traffickers burying people alive on the beaches of Libya if they
refuse to board unseaworthy dinghies and overcrowded boats.
Despite the dangers, many
of those arriving in Libya — fleeing conflict or poverty — find it almost
impossible to get out again, if not by sea.
According to the UN’s
International Organization for Migration, there are between 700,000 and one
million people in Libya awaiting their chance to cross.
Over 77,000 people have
tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe since the beginning of the year, the
UN’s refugee agency said Tuesday, while close to 2,000 people have died trying.
AFP
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