Popular Nigerian Prostitute Patoo Abraham |
For many commercial sex workers in Nigeria, the internet
has become a blessing as it is increasingly becoming a major avenue for
them to meet clients and patrons.
P.M.NEWS findings show that the prostitutes majorly use social media including Twitter,
Facebook
While
some of these media like Eskimi, Twoo forbid members from uploading and
displaying nude photographs, others including Facebook, BBM and Twitter
do not really give their members such restrictions apart from
emphasising its rule against infringement of privacy.
“Some
of these social media afford us the opportunity to display some of our
assets to attract guys like you,” one of the girls on Twitter, who later
gave her name simply as Bisi, a resident of Egbeda, revealed ,
“The use of
social media is even better because some men are very shy to approach a
lady physically.
Some are also very scared of going to brothels. But on
social media, they are bolder and encouraged to speak their minds
because it is just like a blind date where they are not physically with
the woman,” the 30-year old Bisi added.
Sex workers protesting against discrimination |
She,
like many of her colleagues, have adopted a strategy to make it easy
for them to meet with a client for sex over an agreed fee.
“What
we do now is to come together-maybe three of us-and rent an
accommodation where men visit us and have fun. But before then, we would
have agreed on a fee.
“We fix the appointment after
making sure it would not clash with those of our roommates. We either
also give the impression that we are sisters or friends when our
customers visit,” she said, adding that in the alternative, they would
visit the “customer” at home after his assurances that it is safe to do
so “or hang out somewhere else if the customer has enough money for
entertainment and getting a room.
“I
think it is more economical that the customers visit us, do what they
want and pay rather than getting a venue and spending more for short
time,” she said asking our correspondent which of the options he wanted.
On
Eskimi and Twoo, the ladies are free to give details about themselves,
their stature, marital status, number of children where applicable, and
what they want from their likely catch.
Finding showed that while some on these media are genuinely searching
for love, others are there to date and flirt as found on some profile
messages.
A 32-year old mother of two, who registered her profile as Victoria, in an online chat that her husband left her and the children for another woman.
“Since
then, I have been made to cater for the children and their education.
He does not care and I can’t just allow the children suffer.
“You
also know that it is difficult to find a man that would marry a woman
who has two children when single ladies are even finding it increasingly
difficult to get a husband.
“Instead of going about
the streets to beg, the best thing is to make myself available to men
who can afford it. That could help me take care of myself, the children
and my rent,” she confided in P.M.NEWS.
Abuja-based
Chidinma, who plies her trade on Twoo said she is not cut out for men
lesser that 30 years, stressing that many of them are still children who
do not know how the “sex business” operates.
“I can
only date you if you are married. I go out with only married men and on
exceptional cases, with spoilt children of wealthy men in Abuja,” she
said.
She revealed that she lives with
two other ladies in a two-bedroom flat and that through the business,
she now has a car and has been sponsoring two of her younger brothers
through school.
Philomena, a 28-year old woman from
Akwa-Ibom, who does ‘business’ majorly on Twitter explained that she had
come to Lagos at the age of 15 to serve as a house help. She then
graduated into prostitution at age 20, adding that since then, the
business has paid off.
“I ran away from my the family I
was serving as house help after the woman’s husband continuously
tormented me with sex till the day my madam caught us.
“I
then joined a group of girls in a brothel in Iyana-Ipaja and after a
year, I was not meeting my expectations. So I started joining girls to
seek customers around major streets.
“But since someone
introduced me to Twitter, things have changed. I have been getting more
clients than when I was at the brothel. I now live in a rented
apartment, but I select the type of people I bring into my apartment,”
she said, adding “I am just giving you details of myself because I like
you and I believe you are a serious person.”
P.M.NEWS finding revealed that women are not the only ones who pass through agents. Men are also part of the group.
However,
those who seek to be linked up through agents include men in search of
sugar mummies, adult women in search of younger men for sexual
relationships and men in need of young ladies.
These agents demand particular amounts for the different services.
For
example, to register for a sugar mummy on Mature And Rich Sugar Moms
And Dads Hookups, one is expected to pay the sum of N3,000 while
belonging to the BBM group costs just N500 through recharge cards.
While defending this business strategy, one of those who told P.M.NEWS
that he had patronised some of the women through social media, said it
was more economical and “it brings the two of you close even before you
finally meet each other and it affords you the opportunity to know more
about the kind of woman you want at that particular period.”
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