Outrage and wide spread condemnation have trailed the arrest of over 70 women at different clubs in Abuja.
A lawyer and activist, Martin Obono had in series of Tweets narrated how the women were arrested and allegedly molested in police detention.
He said the women arrested were accused of prostitution while some had been sexually abused by the security officials.
SEE HIS TWEETS BELOW
As I type, 70 girls were arrested and brought to Utako Police station last night. This is in addition to the ones who were arrested on Friday night. Their offense; clubbing and in some instance, prostitution. Some have been assaulted with injuries in their vaginas.
— M. M. Obono (@martobono) April 28, 2019
one of the ladies arrested has a 2month old baby. She wasn’t allowed to breastfeed her baby by CRO in charge on duty despite continuous plea amidst tears. It took the intervention of a female police officer who called the DPO to overrule the decision of the inspector at the time
— M. M. Obono (@martobono) April 28, 2019
The joint task force that arrested some of these girls have been allegedly molesting and assaulting them. Some even showed the bruises and bleeding in their vaginas.
A capital city like Abuja needs to define its rules if it wants to be conservative or liberal.— M. M. Obono (@martobono) April 28, 2019
We have foreign investors coming to Abuja to do business, we have foreign development partners who want to help us with the many problems we have. Our society cannot be run like this if we must make progress.
— M. M. Obono (@martobono) April 28, 2019
Choose a position, make clear the rules and enforce them rightly. Some of the police officers I interacted with have said that some of the people in the joint task force even steal the phones of the “suspects”
— M. M. Obono (@martobono) April 28, 2019
We need to legalize prostitution once and for all. But the question is, which legislator will want to sponsor such bill without the backlash from our holier than thous?
— M. M. Obono (@martobono) April 28, 2019
However, the Head of Police Complain Unit, Yomi Shogunle defended the raid and arrest of the women saying Prostitution is a crime under the law.
Those making noise on the clampdown on prostitutes in #Abuja;
•Prostitution is a crime under the law
•P is a sin under the 2 main religions of FCT residents
•Medicine says P is spreading HIV & STD
•P is lifeline of violent criminals
•P don’t pay tax
•???????? culture frowns at P.— Abayomi Shogunle (@YomiShogunle) April 30, 2019
Other Nigerians took to Twitter to vent their anger on the arrest of the women.
SEE REACTIONS BELOW
I still wanna know if all the top echelon of the Nigerian police force is occupied by wicked animals/illiterates that nobody can call their marauding foot soldiers and Yomi Shogunle to order? Like why can't ANYBODY in the force do nothing about this madness? ????
— Ferdinand. (@Poltergeyst_) April 30, 2019
One day Yomi Shogunle will retire, he will be powerless. The thing is his children will be adults then, and the Nigeria he has created will attempt to swallow them.
— Retired Jaguda (@manmustwack) April 30, 2019
Dear Abuja Women, how long before the police start breaking into our homes and arresting us on trumped up charges before something is done?! This impunity by the @NigerianPolice is getting out of hand #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen
— Nkoliifunanyachukwu (@stephie_coco) April 30, 2019
Video of how #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen pic.twitter.com/ycrx6f0kxA
— God's Own.. ???????? ???????? (@Ajatz02) April 30, 2019
Can we stop trying to prove that these women that were arrested are not prostitutes? It’s making it sound like it’s actually okay for prostitutes to be treated unfairly. #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen
— Aegis (@IsyNene) April 30, 2019
5 days ago buhari left the country
5 days ago, Nigeria's power infrastructure collapsed, no light
Within 5 days, our police force are raping women, Kidnappers were allowed rob & kidnap people on Abuja-Kaduna expressway
is there still hope for this country?#AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen— Kindly Follow Back (@Naijadailyfeedx) April 30, 2019
How can we open our eyes and watch this happen? Women are being arrested for prostituting meanwhile the men that patronize them are not touched, why? #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen
— NYAWARI (@Aamir_Sidibe) April 30, 2019
On #AbujaPoliceRaidonWomen these animals need to be apprehended and made to pay for this unimaginable savagery. This is how SARS started going after "supposed" criminals & we folded our arms till they themselves became full blown kidnappers…now they're going after young ladies. https://t.co/hiD9JOqw3l
— Aye Georgina Dakpokpo (@gdakpokpo) April 30, 2019