Police say 65 women were arrested for hanging around nightclubs

The Abuja Command of the Nigeria Police Force has disclosed that it arrested 65 women last week because they were hanging around nightclubs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The women were arrested last week during raids on nightclubs in the FCT and were detained at Utako Police Station where many have alleged that they were molested and sexually assaulted.

Martin Obono, a lawyer and activist, first raised alarm over the arrest when he took to his Twitter account (@martobono) to reveal that the women were arrested for clubbing and tagged as prostitutes by the authorities.

Acting spokesperson of the Abuja command, Danjuma Tanimu, told Premium Times that the women were arrested for hanging around nightclubs in the nation's capital.

He said, "34 women were arrested on Wednesday and 31 on Friday, that is 65 women in total. They were arrested in Aminu Kano Crescent, Gwarimpa, and Katampe extension and they are being charged to court.

"It was the Joint Task Force that arrested them. They were hanging around night clubs. This is the only information I got."

The Public Relations Officer of the Social Development Secretariat of the FCTA, Sunday Shaka, further told Premium Times that some of the women were arrested for provocative dressing, consumption of illegal drugs and attracting criminal elements.

He said, "Some of them dress provocatively, that is half nude. Some of these ladies do not have anything that is covering them. We have graduated to such western life where pornography kind of behaviour will be seen to be roaming the street of the FCT.

"That is not allowed because people that are dressed like that attract people from the underworld to begin to invade such environments.

"Such areas are open to attack. So when people complain about getting attacked in such areas, such place is raided.

"Another criterion that leads to the raiding of some areas is illegal consumption and intake of hard drugs. The ladies smoke indiscriminately, they smoke Indian hemp, they abuse alcohol and drugs. And while at this, they attract people of the opposite sex to flock around such areas.

"And in the process, they engage in illegal consumption of drugs and abuse substances which affect innocent residents going about their normal businesses."

While expressly stating that clubbing is not prohibited in the capital city, Shaka said some of the clubs that were raided were in breach of the FCT code which doesn't permit clubs in residential areas.

"Clubbing is not illegal in Abuja because there are designated areas where clubbing activities are supposed to take place. We have more than 800 clubs or so within the FCT and so we are just talking about less than 10 facilities that have been raided. Those places that have legal paper and genuine permits to operate as clubs are not being raided," he said.

He also dismissed the reports that the women were sexually assaulted by law enforcement officials, but he said investigations are underway.

"This accusation is already being investigated. Our team is well trained and they have been warned against such an act. They are all aware that if any of them is caught to have abused these persons, such a person will be dismissed and prosecuted," he said.