Defiant Sex Workers Repair Chalets Demolished by Soludo, Resume Work

Tony Okafor, Awka

Sex workers operating on the Abakiliki Street, Awka, the Anambra State capital, have hurried rebuilt their ‘business’ shanties demolished by the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, last week.

Calling the bluff of the state governor on the matter, the women of easy virtue said the governor would not deprive them their means of livelihood in the prevailing economic circumstances in the country.

“It’s our fundamental right to earn a genuine living in any part of the country with what we have. We are not criminals; we are humanitarian caregivers,” one of them told our correspondent.

Soludo had on Friday demolished shanties used by the sex workers as cheap chalets.

Abakiliki Street is regarded as the red light district of the state capital, with many high and low profile sex workers soliciting patronage in the area at night.

Soludo had ordered the demolition of shanties in the area, on the premise that they were illegal structures, while some were situated under high tension electricity cable.

But when our correspondent visited the area on Monday night( barely three) days after the demolition, it was discovered that the demolished shanties had been rebuilt.

In front of one of the chanties, ladies of easy virtue were seen sitting on side stools, making passes at at men, to solicit patronage.

A source said: “They are not the owners of the shanty. What they do is that if they have a customer who wants their services, they negotiate with him and use part of the payment to pay the owner of the shanty.

“If a man also brings a girl, he pays to use the shanty for short time with the girl. They are mostly patronized by touts.

“It is just a short time service apartment, and they collect N500 from the men to use it, but the girls who are prostitutes negotiate lower prices, because they are regulars.”