UPDATE (2024/11/28): 

According to court records the cases against Magnus Adelani Osinowo, Brig Silikoe Esau Mokoena, Capt Mbuti Richard Foli and Aboyomi Saheed Bello were subsequently withdrawn on 7 February 2022 in the Vereeniging Regional court.

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VEREENIGING. – Regional Magistrate Retha Willemse on Wednesday granted bail to the station commander of Sedibeng police, Brig Silikoe Esau Mokoena (57), and an investigator of the Sedibeng police’s unit for family violence, child protection and sexual offences, Capt Mbuti Richard Foli (58).

Two of their Nigerian co-accused, Dr Magnus Adelani Osinowo (31) and Aboyomi Saheed Bello, were also released on bail.

The bail of these were fixed on R100 000 each.

Al of the accused assured the magistrate that they would not interfere with the accused or witnesses and gave the assurance that they would return to court to stand trial.

One of the accused, Ikechukwu Anthony Onongaya, a Nigerian citizen, will remain in custody.

He is in the country illegally. The state, who initially indicated that it would oppose bail, sang a different tune when new information about the victim/complainant came to light.

The identity of the victim/complainant may not be revealed, but it appears that she has a history of laying rape charges that were either withdrawn or that did not result in prosecution.

According to new information revealed in court the accused opened rape case op 20 January 2014, only for the case to be withdrawn on 28 July 2016.

The victim/complainant also lay a rape charge relating to a rape that she alleged occurred between 2 December and 3 December 2017.

In this case the state decided not to prosecute. Similarly, the victim/complainant also laid a false complaint against her uncle relating to a rape she claimed happened between 20 June 2020 and 25 November 2020.

This is during the same time she claims to have been raped by Brig Mokoena and Capt Foli.

The state says that Brig Mokoena raped the complainant/victim on the evening of 10 January at a brothel in Edward Street in Vereeniging, but according to his lawyer David Mey, he had left for Zebediela in Limpopo for a funeral on the afternoon of 10 January and only returned on 11 January.

Both Brig Mokoena and Capt Foli said in statements that were read to the court during their bail application, that the state’s case is based entirely on the evidence of a single witness and that the credibility of the witness has now been brought into question as a result of her history with rape cases.

All five men are accused of human trafficking with the aim of sexual exploitation, while the two policemen are alo accused of raping a victim of human trafficking.

The men were arrested after nusing staff at a local hospital alerted the police about a failed abotion.

Hawks spokesperson Capt Ndivhuwo Mulamu said in a statement issued after the arrest that women women were held against their will at the brothel and regularly drugged.

Osinowo was alleged to have been involved in the drugging of victims while he is said to have also performed abortions. Onongaya is said to have been his helper.

According to Mulamu, the policemen raped the victim/complainant, after she had been reported missing to the police by her mother.

Bello is said to be the property manager at the brother where the crime is said to have occurred.

The case was postponed to 13 August.

Regional magistrate Retha Willemse is presiding ove the case. Carina Coetzee is the state prosecutor.

Maputle Makhae is representing both Onongaya and Osinowo.

David Mey is representing Brig Mokoena, while Riaan du Plessis is representing Capt Foli. Bello is represented by Jaco van Heerden.