A young girl forced into prostitution has narrated how she goes to bed with a minimum of 10 different men on a daily basis.
The minor (name withheld) was part of 50 young girls rescued by the Nigeria Navy over the weekend in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The Navy also arrested three suspected sex traffickers in a major raid on two brothels in the Rivers State capital.
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Narrating her ordeal, the victim, who hails from Anambra, said she was trafficked from her village inthe guise of working as a house help.
The victim said forced into prostitution on her arrival in Port Harcourt in the company of one of her kinswomen.
“One of my village women brought me and two other girls from our village with the impression that we are coming to serve in a hotel.
“Shortly after we arrived at the hotel, she (trafficker) went outside and collected money from one woman (brothel operator). That was the last time I saw her (trafficker).
“Later, the woman, simply known as madam, put us in a room and told us that we would work as Ashawo (prostitute).”
According to the victim, she refused to work as a prostitute at first but threats, torture and starvation from the brothel operator made her give in.
“In a day I sleep with more than 10 men, and whatever money I make, I give it to my madam.
“We hustle by wearing pants to seduce the men. After admiring what they see, they (men) take us into the room; have sex with us, and give us money.
“We do a daily account of any money we collect to our madam’s sister, who calculates and gives us our cut.”
The suspects and the victims were paraded on Sunday by Lt.-Cdr. Richard Iginla, Base Information Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder.
Iginla said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigeria Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
A total of 50 prostitutes, mainly teenage girls were rescued in the early hours of Saturday after a tip-off from NAPTIP.
Iginla said;
“We got the intelligence from NAPTIP, who had been tracking the brothels that camped juveniles with some of them as young as 14 years of age.
“So, after NAPTIP shared intelligence with us, a joint team was set up and we immediately went into action to rescue the victims.
“No fewer than 50 young girls forced into prostitution were rescued while three recruiters and operators of the brothels were arrested.”
Iginla so said that the brothels; Royal Brothel and Cool Breeze Brothel both located on Azikiwe Road in Diobu area of Port Harcourt had been shut down.
