A report from BBC News Pidgin says that 50 prostitutes were saved from three brothels on Azikwe Street, Mile 2 Diobu, in Rivers State Capital.
One of the girls who was saved said that she was brought from her village to Port Harcourt to work as a housekeeper for a woman who worked in a hotel. This is how she became a sex worker. When they got to the hotel, the woman told her that she had already paid a lot for her to sleep with men.
She said that at first, she said no, but the woman told her she would beat her and starve her until she slept with the men who had already paid. She said that the woman kept sleeping with more men. She says that she sleeps with more than 10 men a day.
“Every day, I sleep with more than 10 men, and my mistress takes all the money I make. Our madam’s sister keeps track of all the money we get from the men. Then she gives us each a piece,” she said.
Richard Iginla, the Base Information Officer for the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, said that at least 50 women were saved during the operation and that three people were arrested for being recruiters and running brothels. He also said that after their investigation, the suspects and victims will be given to the Nigeria Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Richard Iginla said that the operation was done with the help of the Nigeria Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. He did this while showing off the brothers’ recruiters and operators.
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