Task force officials slept with some of us –Abuja prostitutes reveal.

There was a mild-drama yesterday when the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mobile Court sat at the Old Parade ground to try sex workers arrested at various night clubs and red light zones. The midnight raid carried out by a combined task force team of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEP) and the Social Development Secretariat (SDS) were said to have led to the arrest of over 30 sex workers and nude dancers. The drama started immediately when about eight of the accused who were arraigned alighted from the task force vehicle.

One of them, who later identified herself as Comfort Abbah, accused some men of the task force that arrested them of “having sex” with some of her colleagues and releasing them illegally. Abbah was aggrieved that only eight of over 30 people arrested were brought before the magistrate. She said: “We were more than 30 that were arrested by the task force. After having sex with some of the girls, the task force members have released them. We are here because nobody came to get us out.” However, the accused protest did not stop their arraignment.

After reading the charges of dancing naked and causing public nuisance which the prosecution counsel said violated Section 35 of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Act, four of the accused pleaded guilty while four said they were not guilty. The magistrate, Mrs. Idayat Akanni, told the suspects who pleaded guilty that the offences attracted N5,000 fine or six months imprisonment. Following a plea for mercy by the accused, who pleaded guilty, the magistrate reduced the fine to N3,000 which they paid and regained their freedom.

Meanwhile, the Acting Secretary, Social Development Secretariat, Hajia Safiya Umar, though did not disclose what happened before some of the arrested sex workers were illegally released by members of the task force, she admitted that there was a compromise which must be investigated and punished. Umar noted that 32 girls were arrested at various red light zones on Friday by the task force during the operation which she led. She expressed shock that her staff illegally released 27 of those arrested without her approval. She said: “I must be honest with you; I have been very disappointed because we arrested 32 girls on Friday. My staff decided to release 27 of them without my knowledge. When I got wind of that, I ordered them to find and return the girls. Following that order, they went out on Saturday and arrested a different set of girls and mixed up with the remaining ones. “I don’t think I will be comfortable to be part of this exercise, if my staff will release the apprehended girls. I am going to address the issue and sanction those responsible.”