The government of Anambra state has rescued roughly twenty females aged fifteen to twenty-five from a brothel in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area.
The raid, led by Mrs Ify Obinabo, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, was carried out in coordination with the police following a tip from a whistleblower.
Two of the rescued girls are teenagers, and the Commissioner has transported them to a hospital for a medical check and possibly treatment.
According to the government, the hotel’s administration was found to be trafficking girls from all across the country for prostitution purposes.
Speaking immediately after the raid, Hon Obinabo thanked the Nigeria Police Force, Anambra State Command, for their assistance in rescuing the girls and noted that, despite the state government’s efforts, some people were still breaking the law.
Obinabo reiterated the state government’s commitment to eliminate all forms of child kidnapping, trafficking, and sex slavery in the state, and urged Anambra residents to always report any suspicious activity in their immediate vicinity for swift response and action.
Some of the rescued girls, ranging in age from 16 to 24, stated that they were either taken to the hotel by a friend or a relative with the intention of finding a hotel job for them, but instead they were trafficked.
They reported that the person who brought them to the brothel frequently took their phones and other possessions before turning them over to another lady who informed them that they would only be released if they provided her a particular amount of money or served her for a year.
They stated that they make between 4,000 and 10,000 thousand naira per day during the week and 15,000 to 30,000 thousand naira on weekends, which is deducted by their several direct supervisors.
They further claimed that they pay their rent to the owner every day using the revenues of the prostitution business, noting that they pay the sum of three thousand, five hundred naira (N3,500) as rent on a daily basis.
When questioned how they feed and survive at the brothel, the rescued girls all stated that they were always paid 500 naira every morning for their feeding for the entire day, and that the food is brought to them by security positioned throughout the hotel.
The girls also said that they sleep with roughly ten guys per day in order to meet the objective set for them or face being cruelly beaten by their mistress.
The accused, who were also detained, will be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka, according to the ministry.
