Fourteen girls who allegedly engaged in prostitution have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command, along with the proprietor of a brothel located in Akute town, in Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
The girls, whose age ranges from 13 to 20, and the hotelier, Babatunde Temiogbe, were paraded at the Eleweran Police headquarters yesterday in Abeokuta, just as the police authority said it would soon hand over the suspects to the appropriate authorities in charge of human trafficking offences.
The Commissioner of Police, Nicholas Nkemdeme, while parading the suspects said the arrests were based on recent directives by the command that police should pounce on criminal hideouts.
The police boss added that the policemen attached to Ajuwon Division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Isukkekhe Oisamaye, embarked on constant raid of black spots and was able to identify Mr Temiogbe’s brothel in the area where the arrests were effected.www.naijapaymentsonline.com
“The policemen attached to Ajuwon Division, led by the DPO, SP Isukkekhe Oisamaye on Monday 5/08/2011 at about 0800hrs, carried out a raid on Temiogbe Brothel located at Akute, Ogun State, where 14 teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 20 years, being forced into prostitution were arrested,” the commissioner said.
He added that “upon enquiries, this brothel owned by Babatunde Temiogbe of Iro, Owode-Egba has been harbouring hoodlums who terrorise the vicinity,” adding that “the suspects will soon be handed over to NAPTIP for necessary action”.
However, many of the suspects in an interview said their involvement in the sex trade was to make a living, stressing that the job was even known to some of their parents, in view of the fact that what they realised was used to assist their parents back home.
The girls, whose origins were traced to the South-South of the country, explained that they relocated to the South-West of the country in search of greener pastures. According to them, they each rented a room at the hotel and paid rent on a daily basis.
One of the girls, who identified herself simply as Precious, explained how she got into the trade. According to her, on arrival in Lagos she got a job as a housemaid, but following maltreatment from her boss, she left the house and resolved to be independent and thus ventured into prostitution.
The brothel owner, on his part, explained that the girls came to the brothel voluntarily to secure apartment, where they would engage in the sex trade, insisting he never forced them into the prostitution business.
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