The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has that its seeming show of leniency towards commercial sex workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is connected with the lack of support from the judiciary, human rights organizations and some security agencies whose staff patronize them.
AEPB Public Relations Officer (PRO), Muktar Ibrahim, gave this explanation in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists during the weekend.
According to him, AEPB has been dragged to court over human rights violation because the constitution is unclear on whether commercial sex workers are the breaking the law.
He said that although harsher economic times in the nation has led to an increase in commercial sex activities in certain areas of the FCT, commercial sex workers, alongside beggars and hawkers constitute a nuisance to the city.
He stressed that getting rid of them from the city center falls under the jurisdiction of the board.
Ibrahim said: “although removal of prostitutes from the streets is the responsibility of the Social Development Secretariat (SDS), we round-up prostitutes, alongside beggars and hawkers, and deliver them to the SDS for rehabilitation.
“Prostitution constitute a nuisance to the city, AEPB exercise caution in our action against practitioners, as we have found ouselves unsupported in such matters in court, whereas the sex workers have allies in human rights organizations and some security agencies whose staff patronize them.
“There has been a decrease in commercial sex activities in the previously infamous Gimbiya Street and environs in Area 11, other sex hawking spots had arisen.
“Popular hotspots of prostitution in the FCT include, Wuse Zone 4, Wuse II close to Cubana restaurant and night club, and Wuse II along the Etisalat to Banex road in Abuja,” he added.
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