A Nigerian National and husband of Lulama Titi Odili, Deputy Executive Mayor of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa, Phil Odili, has been arrested in Bloemfontein after police allegedly discovered about 28 undocumented foreign nationals at his guesthouse during a raid.
His arrest was confirmed on Tuesday, June 30, by MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, a South African politician who currently serves as the Premier of the Free State. She said the operation had triggered an extensive police and immigration investigation into the circumstances surrounding the occupants of the property and documents allegedly found during the raid.
According to the premier, police found between 28 and 29 Nigerian and Ethiopian nationals inside the guesthouse, where they had allegedly been staying for about seven days without leaving the premises.
The South African police are yet to announce formal charges against Odili, while investigations into the guesthouse, the undocumented foreign nationals and the recovered documents remains ongoing.