People casually toss around the phrase “bad juju” to indicate a malignant vibe or lousy luck. But for the young Nigerian women victimized by a human trafficker in 2016, their belief in the juju religion was a controlling force. In Cursed, presenter and journalist Femi Oke not only recounts an appalling story of women trafficked for sex but also explains how the power of juju was used to keep them in line.
Facing a grim life of poverty in Benin City and hearing tales of wealth and success about those who migrated to Europe, the five young women at the center of what became a groundbreaking international case were easy pickings for the formidable figure they knew as “Madam Sandra,” who promised to get them to Europe and find them work in return for 37,000 euros.
