Police Rescue Underaged Girls Use As Sex Workers In PortHarcourt

 

Rivers State Police Command has rescued some underaged girls allegedly forced  into prostitution.

Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police command , DSP Grace Iringe Koko  confirmed the arrest of some suspects and rescue of the underaged girls  .

Speaking on the incident,  Chairman of Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign in Rivers State,Mr. Ik Alexander called on the  Police to synergize the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons ,NAPTIP; to ensure proper prosecution of arrested suspects .

In an interview with our Correspondent, Mr Alexander  said his team visited the street  on Saturday afternoon after the raid of the brothel  by the Police and observed that the woman who normally brings the underaged girls from outside the state on pretence Of teaching them trade in PortHarcourt got feelers that the Police were coming back to raid other brothels in the street where underaged girls are kept for purpose of prostitution and the 'madams' were  moving the teenage girls into a waiting bus which zoomed off almost immediately to an unknown destination as soon as  his team arrived.

 Mr Alexander further called on the Rivers State Government to partner with NAPTIP  to ensure regular surveillance on all the brothels in the State as the rate of teenage prostitution,sex slavery  is alarming and ensure that aside the arrest of the 'madams',  that Directors, Managers of such brothels  are also prosecuted .

He urged residents of the state to join in the fight against  sex slavery by giving useful and timely  information to NAPTIP and other relevant security agencies.

Mr.Alexander added that  his group will monitor progress on the matter to ensure Justice is served.

In the meantime, a resident of the area, Mr. Peter Okosa commended the Police for the rescue of the underaged girls in a brothel at Azikiwe.

Mr Okosa  stated that the older commercial sex workers who are no longer attractive to prospective male customers go to villages to bring underaged girls between 13 -16 year old deceiving their parents that they are coming to learn trade and upon arrival at the  brothels, the girls are made to swear an oath of secrecy.

Mr Okosa revealed that the victims are given target of  20,000 naira everyday and failure to meet the target attracts physical torture from their 'madams'.

He explained that each 'madam' has minimum of five underaged girls working for her and the  teenage girls  are not allowed to go outside  the brothel, neither are they allowed to use mobile phone.