A court has found a top doctor and his wife guilty of keeping a slave for 24 years. Doctor Emmanuel Edet, 61, and his wife Antan, 58, took Ofonime Edet in 1989, without the permission of his family. They promised him an education but when he came to their home, they broke their word.
For the next 24 years Ofonime acted as a ‘houseboy’ for the couple. The court heard how he was too scared to run away from the family.
Now, at 40-years-old, Ofonime will finally get justice for the crimes committed against him.
It’s reported Ofonime worked 17 hours a day, 365 days a year and was paid around £2 a week. He slept on the floor of their home and was banned from entering any room in the house unless he was cleaning it.
Only when Ofonime saw an advert about slavery did he contact a charity who helped him. Emmanuel and Antan Edet were arrested in March and now have been found guilty of holding a person in slavery or servitude, child cruelty and assisting unlawful immigration.
The charity who helped Ofonime, Hope For Justice, said they had helped save over 70 slaves since January.