What is the relationship between Juju and trafficking?

COERCION AND JUJU OATH OF SILENCE

Some trafficked people are taken to a shrine, where they swear a Juju before leaving their country of origin. Several trafficked people have confessed to HopeNow: 

“In my head, I have for years been a Christian, but in my heart, I believe in the old spirits and practices of the traditional religion. This was my first time in a shrine, and my whole body shook with fear.”

Click here to learn more about JuJu and its impact on trafficking in Denmark.

Endemic corruption in Nigeria has eroded faith in the legal system, which is expensive and ineffective. Therefore, many ordinary people and traffickers have returned to traditional African practices to make binding agreements or oaths. However, these traditional practices have been hijacked by traffickers over the last three decades. This practice has become a central part of a highly lucrative business that lies in the hands of powerful transnational crime cults.   

Due to deeply embedded religious practices in West Africa, the Juju oath has a tremendous psychological effect. If oath takers divulge any information about the traffickers, are not obedient or do not pay their debts, they and their family members will be cursed with death or madness. It is essential to understand that classic mafia coercion methods are also used. HopeNow has worked with many cases where family members are dragged off to the shrine, beaten, or killed if the trafficked person does not pay their fictitious debt.

It's common for trafficked people to swear the Juju oath for the first time at the beginning of their journey. The oath-taking ceremony involves a variety of rituals, including making small incisions on the body with a razor and drinking the blood of an animal sacrifice.  

Read here about crime groups linked to the EIYE brotherhood, known for being one of the most influential confraternities in Nigeria. Read the European police case of people being trafficked by juju threats. It is one of the largest operations in Europe, involving 39 Nigerian trafficked women.