More than 500 commercial sex workers in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, took to the streets protesting the incessant and indiscriminate arrests and extortion of their members by the FCT Special Task Team on City Cleaning and Management, reports say.
The prostitutes under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Prostitutes (NANP), expressed their anger after more than 3,000 of their members were arrested in various raids in the last three months by the FCT officials in different parts of the capital city.
Parading the town with different placards with inscriptions like:
'Ashewo work na work'; 'Allow us to hustle for our daily bread'; and 'Legalize prostitution now', the scarlet ladies showed their dismay at the way their members are molested daily by different task forces and security operatives.
One of the ladies who said her name is Loveth, narrated their experiences to our source:
"We are Nigerians too and we only go about seeking our daily livelihood, so I see no reason why they should be harassing, arresting us and extorting money from us.
These same men are the ones who patronize us but during the day, they will be molesting us.
What crimes have we committed? Many of us are graduates who could not secure jobs, so we hustle to make ends meet. We have families and responsibilities to meet, so they should allow us to work and make money.
Many of us do not like selling ourselves for money but what can we do? We are not thieves; we are not members of the political class who steal Nigeria's money. If the government want us to stop what we are doing, they should provide jobs for us. We are tired of the daily harassment.
Enough is enough; prostitution should be legalized in Nigeria."
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