Nigerian man faces Belfast court over claims he kept a woman as a house slave

A NIGERIAN national has been remanded in custody accused  of forcing a woman to perform labour.

Married Osarobo Izekor, 33, residing at Castlereagh Place in the east of the city, faced Belfast Magistrates’ Court on a “serious” trafficking charge.

The 33-year-old is the first person to be charged with such an offence in Northern Ireland by detectives from the PSNI’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit (MSHTU).

The charge relates to a period between December 2016 and September 2017.

Izekor was accused of requiring another person to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Following a 16-month police probe, detectives swooped on Tuesday and arrested Izekor.

Officers carried out a search of a property and seized documents and mobile phones.

A 25-year-old woman, who was arrested in Scotland on Tuesday, has been transported back to Northern Ireland for questioning.

Bail was refused and Izekor was remanded in custody to Maghaberry prison until Wednesday, May 29.