Court jails 6 women for prostitution in Lagos

A magistrates’ court sitting in Ogba, Lagos State has sentenced six women to three months’ imprisonment for prostitution.

According to Punch, the women, Joy Emmanuel, Tonia Ogini, Sandra Abraham, Joy Joe, Athani Therish and Nwachukwu Vera, were charged on Friday, September 27, 2019, for exposing themselves to “public prostitution and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.”

The women were arrested by men of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, following the raid of an illegal brothel around Mile 2 area of the state.

The agency also arrested the operator of the brothel, one Charity Okafor and four other men, whose names were given as Muhammed Sani, Kabir Ayinde, Kunle Adeyemo and Kazeem Ololade.

The men were arrested at the brothel, where some illicit drugs, including tramadol and Indian hemp, were reportedly recovered.

Speaking on the arrest of the women and the brothel operator, the Task Force Chairman, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, said that the facility had previously been demolished by the agency during the clearing of illegal structures and shanties from Eric Moore Road to the Trade Fair end of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Punch reports.

However, during their arraignment before a magistrate, Mrs Olajebi Adelabu, the sex workers pleaded guilty to the charges against them and were sentenced to three months in prison with an option of a fine of N40,000 each.

As for the operator of the brothel, he was charged with “conspiracy, harbouring of prostitutes in an illegal structure, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and unlawful possession of illicit drugs.”

The court sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to the charges.

The court also gave two of the male suspects, Sani and Ayinde 48 hours community service, while the other two, Adeyemo and Ololade were charged with illegal possession of illicit drug.

Adeyemo and Ololade pleaded guilty to the offence and were sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of N20,000 each.