This report by PUNCH reveals the activities of commercial sex workers in Lagos and the services they offer to the men who patronise them.
Arrowed: spot on Tinubu Street on Lagos Island where the ladies solicit for sex
A correspondent who visited Lagos Island noticed that a lot of activities involving parades and calling out to customers was noticed on Simpson Street where the prostitutes dressed in short, skimpy and see-through apparels, with heavily made up faces were seen parading the streets.
One of the shocking revelations on the Island was the sex-while-standing which seems like a new development. Here, the commercial sex workers meet the needs of their customers who want a quickie whilst saving time.
Located close to many banks which dot the vicinity, the sex spot does not look luxurious. But it is not likely that a conscious person would miss the kind of trade that goes on in the area. During the day, these streets are busy with commercial activities but they take on a totally different outlook at night. As business activities round off from 8pm the commercial sex workers convert some of the wooden sheds used by traders during the day to their own stand and get set for work.
A visit by another correspondent to a popular street inside the Iyana-Ipaja main market revealed that the timing of the business was between the early hours of the morning and late and night. The price for a 'quickie' ranges from N700 to N1500 depending on your bargaining power.
Early in the morning and late at night, the sex workers stay in front of the building calling on potential customers and some passers-by who look in their direction.
The building had a bar inside where men and women drink while the operator played music. For an unsuspecting visitor, the place could pass for a bar, but each of the sex workers has a room upstairs where they attend to their guests with no interference from others.
The correspondent went into the building with one of the girls and was shocked when asked for the bed on which the fun would take place and she replied that they usually have sex with men while standing thus there would be no need for a bed or bench as none was available. In her words, “Bed or wetin? Na as we dey so we dey do am. No time.”
However, the rapid growth in the business of commercial sex has forced some businesses to recognise the potential of money-making in it.
These days, most bars now have girls on display as they have drinks. And the girls are also offered to customers who are interested and willing to pay.
Gone are the days when commercial sex workers stayed in brothels while waiting for their clients. At first, Allen Avenue was known as headquarters of these young ladies in Lagos State but slowly and gradually, they began to expand their coast to places like Ikeja GRA, Agege, Obalende, National Stadium at Surulere, Iyana-Ipaja and Lagos Island.
