Commercial sex workers jailed in Abuja

Five commercial sex workers were yesterday sentenced to two weeks imprisonment, while 40 others were fined by an Abuja mobile court for engaging in illegal activities in the FCT.

Prosecutor Eze O. Eze told the court that the accused persons were arrested on Tuesday by officials of the Enforcement Department of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, (AEPB) at various streets in the city between 1am and 3am.

“ The accused were carrying out activities that constitute nuisances within the FCT and the offence contravenes Section 35 (1h)  of the AEPB Act of 1997 and Section  45 of the Constitution.

The accused pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them and begged for leniency.

After making their plea, the prosecutor urged the court to try them summarily under Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Magistrate Aminu Abdullahi sentenced five of the accused persons who have been previously convicted for the same offence to two weeks imprisonment and to also pay N5,000 fines each, while others were fined N5, 000 and ordered to be taken to the FCT Vocational Centre at Lugbe to attend vocational training courses.