The FCT administration under the leadership of Senator Bala Muhammed in June, 2010, gave an order that prostitutes should stay off the streets of Abuja or be made to face the full wrath of law. As a result, a task force was inaugurated to help enforce the order. Two years down the line, what seemed to be the joy of most married women had suddenly become the nightmare of other innocent young women as they are arrested, molested and detained unlawfully on a daily basis, AMARACHI EGBEOGU writes.
On Saturday, January 10, 2011 at about 10.30pm, my friends and I stopped over to buy shawarma at a popular spot in Wuse II after the day’s work. While we were waiting for our order to be prepared, we decided to do what girls our age do almost everywhere and anytime – take photographs of ourselves with our camera phones.
But on this fateful day we had barely taken two shots when we noticed all the recharge card sellers around took to their heels.
Curious, we stirred, wondering what was going on. Immediately, some men came to grab us by our hands, tugging us and saying, “You are selling”. We wondered what they meant because it did not look like we were selling anything. One of the men kept on pulling me; so I reacted by hitting his hand off me, creating a scene in the process.
As soon as his colleagues noticed us, they ganged up and dragged me into their waiting van. While in the vehicle, they tucked their hands into my underwear, trying to reach for my private parts. I fought back to resist them to no avail. Another man with a camera was busy taking snap shots of the event.
Our male friends who were at a bar close to the shawarma spot tried to rescue us but the Policemen in company of these men threatened to shoot them. They eventually took us to their office in Area 2, Garki.
“We were later taken to Life Camp Police Station where we were asked to write down our names and locked up in a cell despite the fact that my boss came around to identify some of us. They claimed nothing could be done until Monday since we were arrested over the weekend.
“While in cell, I realised that most of the women locked-up there were innocent victims like me who suddenly became the prey of these men either by stepping out to get something to eat or taking a stroll home. Even a married woman was also arrested. A victim who was on her menstrual period was left bleeding in the cell unattended to. By Monday, my boss came with a lawyer and we were released. I took pictures of those involved and we sued them, but up till date, nothing has been done about it.”
This is the account of Tomi Akinsuyi (not real names), one of the victims of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board personnel, who was inhumanly manhandled, detained and molested under the false pretext of ridding Abuja streets of prostitutes.
Lately, a lot of young women move around the city of Abuja with fear. Many are of the opinion that the task force officials are going beyond their primary focus of eradicating hawkers and prostitutes from the streets, to arresting decent and innocent young women.
Zainab Mustapha, who also had encountered the injustice of this team, says that the officials have lost their main focus. Sharing her ordeal, Zainab said: “In my opinion, I consider it to be an organised robbery agency or a bully protection program. They seem to take advantage of the authority vested on them by the government to pounce on innocent women.
They leave hawkers and prostitutes to roam the streets, while they arrest innocent citizens in order to get substantial bribe. I have fallen victim of these agents of darkness and I must say that it was the most embarrassing moment of my life.
She continued: “On this fateful day, my friend and I had just concluded a business meeting with another friend who owns a reputable restaurant in Maitama and we headed home in a painted taxi just before Maitama roundabout. Then the car was stopped by policemen.
One of the policemen who approached us asked the driver questions concerning our safety which we appreciated; but suddenly things turned around.? He asked where we were coming from and where we were heading which we told him. He then asked us for our identity cards and I showed him my international passport, but my friend didn’t have any form of identification on her at that point.
We showed him the business documents we had on us as evidence that we were coming from a business meeting, but he picked his phone and called the task force team to arrest us. Luckily for us, our friend from the meeting came to join us there and with N200 bribe, the police allowed us to go. We truly live in a lawless country!’’ She concluded.
Hannah, who declined giving her last name, said she had been a victim as well. According to her, it happened on her first visit to Abuja. “The night of my first visit to Abuja at about 10.00pm, my male cousin asked me to follow him to buy suya. While we were waiting for our order, three men approached me and dragged me into a bus.
My cousin tried to stop them but they overpowered him. At that moment, I thought I was being kidnapped. The next thing I felt were two heavy smacks on my buttocks. When I realised why they had taken me, I was in absolute shock because I wasn’t dressed like a prostitute. I had my hair tied with a scarf, wore a sweater because of the cold and knee-length shorts with flip-flops to match.
“I kept begging, trying to convince them that I was not a prostitute but they did not pay any attention to me. They drove me round the city centre until about 3am the next morning when they finished patrolling. Then I was taken to a police station at Garki and was locked-up there till the next day.
“My parents had to come from Jos along with my uncle whom I came to visit to bail me,” Hannah explained.
The accounts go on and on. So many ladies shared their ugly experiences, most of them with similar experiences. This they claim has been going on for over two years and nothing seems to have been done.
Several efforts made by LEADERSHIP WEEKEND to reach with high authorities in charge of the task force team in order to verify the authenticity of the claims and measures taken in addressing the issue, if true, proved abortive.
In a visit to their office in Central Business District on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) was not in the premises and directions were given to speak with the HOD, Enforcement, but after several calls and efforts, it has proved abortive.??