Some protesters on Saturday
besieged the federal capital territory (FCT) police command over the alleged
rape of some commercial s3x workers by some policemen.
In April, a joint task force
raided Caramelo, a popular strip club, in the nation’s capital, and arrested
some strippers.
The task force also arrested
suspected sex workers in different parts of Abuja. Some of those arrested were
allegedly raped by police officers.
In response to the allegation,
the FCT police command said it had set up a “high power” team to probe the
allegations.
But the protesters stormed the
command on Saturday, demanding that the culprits be punished publicly.
They also held placards which
read “Sex for bail is rape”, “To be a woman is not a crime”, “You should
protect us not harm us”, among others.
The protesters |
Addressing reporters in front of
the command, Rebecca Umar, leader of the protest, said police are supposed to
defend women and not rape them.
“We are here to tell the police
that you. The police is supposed to be our friend. We are women, we should be
free to wear whatever we want to wear without being arrested,” Umar said.
“It is not a crime to be a woman.
We will not be silent, we are here because of the recent happenings at Utako
(Caramelo) and other places.
“The police is supposed to defend
us, not rape us.”
Also speaking, Aisha Yesufu, an
activist, said it is the right of a woman to dress the way she wants.
“I have the right to wear a hijab
and another has the right for mini and not wear anything. It is our fundamental
human rights, you do not a right to label a woman a prostitute because of the
way she is dressed,” Yesufu said.
“The Nigerian police, you are all
out here with your guns, why are you not on Abuja-Kaduna road?”
S. Umar, deputy commissioner of
police in charge of operations, FCT command, assured the protesters that the
officers “found wanting will be punished.”
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