MAASTRICHT - In a major human trafficking case in Limburg, voodoo was probably used to silence Nigerian victims. Five people from Meerssen, Maastricht, Geleen and Eindhoven have been named as suspects in the case.

Among other things, the Nigerian girls were to work in prostitution in Limburg. Prosecutor Anneke Rogier is currently releasing the exact ages
of the girls by an expert, it emerged yesterday during a pre-trial hearing at the court in Maastricht. According to the prosecution (OM), the suspects' victims had to swear through a voodoo ritual that they would not tell anything about what had happened to them. Otherwise, "something bad would happen to them and death would follow.

Last year, police discovered that a so-called Afroshop in downtown Maastricht allegedly served as an "office" for a gang of human traffickers and smugglers. The main suspect is Peggy A.(26) of Nigerian origin from Meerssen. The owner of the store is also a suspect in the case. False identity papers were used in the human trafficking. The human smuggling took place by boat from Nigeria. The victims had to pay several thousand euros for the trip.

Attorneys Serge Weening and Ivo van de Bergh will travel to Nigeria next February to interview a number of witnesses. "I want to know from the mother of one of the alleged victims exactly what she noticed about the departure of her daughter and I am going to hear from the father of a co-accused about the voodoo practices," said counsel Van de Bergh.