Faced with severe hardships, under-age girls in Akwa Ibom State have turned to commercial sex vendors as a regular pass time.
To check the trend, operatives of the state command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in a sting operation raided a brothel in Ini local government area, where two of the girls were rescued, while others fled.
The raid, it was learnt, followed intelligence volunteered by one Glory, a 17 -year-old, who was assisted to escape after being lured into sleeping with men at the hotel against her wish.
The command’s public relations officer (PRO), DSC Ekerete Friday, who made this known yesterday, said “the victims aged 18 and 25, confessed to sleeping with men from time to time and handed over all the proceeds to one Mrs Imaobong, wife of the operator of the hotel.”
Glory was lured to work at the hotel as a sales attendant at the bar/restaurant section and was dutifully carrying out her roles until she was mandated by Madam Imaobong to sleep with a man against her wish and she escaped and contacted officials of the NSCDC in the state who acted swiftly.
He said, “The Akwa Ibom state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, acting on intelligence, has raided a hotel in Ini LGA of Akwa Ibom State suspected to be engaged in under-aged prostitution.
“The raid which was carried out on Saturday, July 15, 2023 followed from intelligence provided by one of the victims who was assisted to escape after being lured into sleeping with men at the hotel against her wish.
“The young girl, Glory (surname withheld) 17 years was taken from her parents to work at the hotel, as a sales person in the Bar/Restaurant section by a woman identified as Mrs Imaobong.
“She said was carrying out tasks assigned to her until a customer pointed out to her that he wanted her. The woman then gave her a condom and asked her to sleep with the customer which she refused. She was able to escape through assistance, after which she reached out to NSCDC, who raided the premises.”
