It was like a scene from one of those Hollywood movies. People gathered around, not believing their ears as they listened to the young man who was not the least ashamed of his trade. Ifeanyi Benedith Agah told the astounded crowd in the Upper Area Court of Mararaba, Nassarawa State how he plied this trade in the suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). And what is his trade? Commercial sex! BLESSING UKEMENA writes
Men are fast becoming part of commercial sex workers especially in major cities of the country. Before now it was mostly done in secret but it has now taken a new dimension with the men standing by the road side soliciting for clients.
According Ifeanyi, he used to stand the streets of Wuse Zone 4 which is acknowledged as one of the red light zones in the FCT or Jabi, a suburb of Abuja for business. He also owned up to having been into the ‘business’ for about five years.
He said: “I have been doing this for five years now. I was disvirgined when I was 12 years. I used to perform in cultural dances with the females in my school. One day my principal saw me, called me and told me that he liked me, that is how we started.
He was the one who initiated me into having sex through the anus.
“My parents were not taking good care of me. They left me in the village while they were here in Abuja. It was the principal that was taking care of me by paying my school fees and other such things”
The-17-year-old who hails from Afikpo Local Government Area in Ebonyi State, claimed that, at first his parents were not aware of his sexual activities but when they eventually found out they took him for HIV/AIDS test and it was discovered that he was HIV positive.
Agah’s parents subsequently disowned him and threw him out of the house and so like most persons in the commercial sex; he claimed he went into the trade for economic reasons, adding that he joined the females to stand by the streets for clients at night.
Problem, however, started when he encountered 32-year-old Rabiu who approached him for his services on the March 11, 2012.
According to Agah, he usually charged N10,000 for each round of sex but Rabiu had pleaded with him to accept the same sum for two rounds of sex, but the client gave him only N1,000 after their time together and asked him to return the next day for the balance of N9,000.
The accused person stated that Rabiu did not live up to his promise as he gave him only N3,500 which upset him leading to an argument that landed both parties in police station where they had gone to have the issue resolved but were detained and charged to court the following day.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, Agah stated that all sorts of persons patronise him for sexual gratification. “Some of them are ministers but they will not tell you their full names. The good ones among them will give me up to N40,000 to N45,000 per night and the stingy ones will give N25,000 for three rounds per night”
The accused who did not seem repulsed by what he has been doing, further stated, “When I sleep with other men I feel like a female prostitute. I do not have feeling for females, only the males so they are the ones that take me out for business and treat me well.
“I cannot tell them that I am HIV positive because it will spoil business for me. Some of them use condoms. Nobody apart from my parents knows that I am HIV positive. I stay with female prostitutes because I do not have my own place. Even the girls I live with do not know that I am HIV positive,” he said.
Agah surprisingly told our correspondent that he would not advise anybody to join his trade as he insisted he was in it because of his financial difficulties, just as he said he would advise those in the cat to stop it stating: “This is hand work because I need to take care of myself but I would advise others that are doing it to stop it. I am doing this because of my condition. My parents stay in Gwagwa, a suburb of the FCT, but I have not seen them in two years.”
Rabiu, however, refused to make any comment as he bemoaned the possibility of going to jail having been found guilty of unnatural offences by the Upper Area Court, presided over by Judge Abdullahi Mariga. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Abu asked the court for preservation of sentence so that more investigation might be carried out as there were other developments while trial was on.
The court convicted the accused as charged and ordered that they remain in police custody till the sentence is passed. Hearing in the sentencing is scheduled for March the 21, 2012.
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