The criminal activities in the field of trafficking in human beings.

The analysis of the legal documentation and information on the most
serious crimes in by Nigerians confirms the hypothesis of the existence
of organized crime, made in the statistical analyzes criminal
particularly with regard to trafficking in human beings and drug trafficking,
which are the most illegal activities carried out in Italy.
Most of the girls come from areas of southern Nigeria,
in particular the city of Benin City, Lagos or some town
Interior, and belong to the tribe Igbo, Yoruba, Bini, Edo.
They are all young women or young, with an average age between 17
and 30 years; several are married, and often abandoned by their husbands, with
sons. Many of them had jobs or were students and had spent
a period of urbanization (usually on the outskirts of Benin City or Lagos).
The contact, the approach and the work of conviction are through
a female figure, the madam, who is the intermediary between the girls
and the organization. This woman has the task of winning the reluctance
Personal and family to leave the country, encouraging the propensity
illegal emigration, and proposing itself as the guarantor or sponsor
finance the money needed for the trip.
The sponsor is responsible for buying the girls who will be in Nigeria
for prostitution, organizing, sometimes directly
practices and the consequent emigration journey to your destination
final, replacing or at least complementing the Nigerian racket.
This step gives rise to the debt that the girls pay through
prostitution in the future state of slavery.
The madam is necessarily a charismatic figure, almost priestly,
in that it establishes a close relationship with the girls, based on
magical rites, called 'Juju', which are, in the particular context
cultural, psychological lever of a total enslavement. Generally it is
person other than the madam in Italy, which is instead one that
coordinates the activities of the girls and collecting the proceeds of prostitution,
although the two are always in contact, and, often, even have a
family relationship. In some cases it is the same madam who operates in Italy
to go to Nigeria to recruit girls to be used then to prostitution,
impersonating the two figures.
Sometimes the madam takes on the quality of sponsors, funding their own
the expenses for the trip to Europe, and in this way going up further
the hierarchy of the organization.
Guarantee shall be required in assets owned by the family, or,
in case of total poverty, a sort of pact of blood in front of a
sorcerer, the "native doctor", provided that undertakes to repay the debt agreed
  and to always obey the madam, the girl's death penalty or
of his family remained in the village.
In the operation, "EDO" of the Flying Squad of the police headquarters in Udine in 1997,
have been described in detail the complicated rituals aimed at terrorizing the young
women, in order to subject them to a state of mental inferiority through the practice of so-called
"Black magic", evoking, for culture and mentality of the injured parties, the possibility, even at a distance,
of injury or even death. The fact that these practices may constitute
a force of intimidation and, therefore, constitute a condition of subjection and
of omerta `, it is indisputable.
The cost to the organization is about 4-5,000 dollars, which is multiplied, reaching
a debt to be paid at least 20-30,000 Euros.
For example, in disclosure of the Operational part of the CC of Padua
LAGOS operation 2, it is highlighted a conversation between two suspects, in the course of
which refers to forms of Kin to the families of the young prostitutes
that do not meet the deliveries given.
The girls, in order to leave, must have a passport, often
falsified, transit visa, air ticket AR lines Nigerian
and a sum of money of at least $ 1000 to be declared on
passport.
The starting point, in most cases, it is the airport of Lagos
in Nigeria. The first stop is in other African airport, often in
Ghana, where is this historically strong communities of Nigerian origin,
but also in Cotonou, the town near state of Benin; at times
the first stage is instead in Togo. The routes of entry are, for reasons
protective measures, divided into different stages in many European cities: there are
direct calls to Rome, Milan Linate and Malpensa, but also transits complex
Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Lisbon,
Athens city and also to Eastern Europe, such as Romania and Slovenia.
Another method is formed by passage through Greece, officially
by the system through the formal invitation to the Embassy
Nigerian place.
The survey LAGOS 2, it is noted that the organization
was dependent on the choice of several routes also from international events,
For example, taking advantage of the soccer World Cup in France,
or by introducing some underground bands in the Nigerian
on tour in Europe, or in the more numerous groups of Nigerians who came
in Rome with transit visas or entry visas collective, a "pilgrimage
religious holy places "(the number of women registered for
every seen is approximately 15-20).
The wide possibilities to diversify transit demonstrates the high level
of organizational capacity of these criminal groups and certainly a
dense network of connections throughout Europe.
Upon arrival in Italy, the girls are taken over by other people,
that lead to the final destination, entrusting to the Nigerian women,
the madam or the controller. The controllers are women who perform the
same functions as the local madam, but play a lesser role in the
hierarchy of the organization, as they have no direct contact
with sponsors or with the leaders of the association.
The controller is often a former prostitute who has paid his
debt and has initiated a partnership with the local madam,
often merely give hospitality to prostitutes in their own homes,
obtaining compensation for the costs of accommodation. In any case the
controller has the task of supervising the prostitutes and immediately notify
the madam for any inconvenience.
The findings of the police show that the main city election
these trades are: Turin, Milan, Genoa, Verona, Udine, Padua, Brescia,
Modena, Treviso and Mestre for the North; Livorno, Rimini, Perugia and
Roman hinterland to the Center; Caserta, notably Castel Volturno
and all the agro Domitian, and Naples for the South
The analysis of the documents available leads investigators to believe
the existence of a network organized criminal madam of 100, which is approaching
characteristics of mafia association.
The madam monitor the girls and start the exercise of prostitution
through a wide range of coarctation, ranging from
theft of personal identification documents, the psychological violence
kind of magic, up to physical violence to get even
murder.
The girls have to pay the price for the madam also use
the public place of prostitution, said in slang JOINT. Often the individual
Joint managing madam in different city, where they rotate frequently
their "girls."
In addition, madam between themselves, paying a weekly
so-called "contribution" in a sort of common fund. The sum of all
these contributions allows each madam, that benefits from progressively,
to quickly receive the added value of the investment made
with the purchase of women and to reinvest the capital again, expanding
And so the proper range.
The houses for prostitutes are leased by individuals in
possession of a valid residence permit. Often is detected the involvement
directed by Italian citizens and Ghanaian immigrants, through the system
sublet the chain: the victims are, therefore, forced to live
in conditions of overcrowding and hallucinating pay exorbitant prices.
The claims of false loans are provided by fellow dedicated
to commercial activities, or from Italian, or even by military
Americans in service at the military bases located in Triveneto.
Were detected false claims of hospitality, recruitment and
private documents relating to cultural training.
The accompaniment of the girls on the places of prostitution is
sometimes made ​​even by Italian citizens or Ghanaians and protection
Source: Senate - 176 - Chamber of Deputies
XIV LEGISLATURE - BILLS AND REPORTS - DOCUMENTS