By Our Correspondent
No fewer than 100 persons, including more than 50 prostitutes, were arrested on Monday night after a police raid at the notorious Flour Mill brothel in Calabar.
The brothel is a very notorious hang out for hardened criminals who have been linked with several crimes that are committed in Calabar metropolis and water front communities in the state capital.
The State Security Adviser, (SSA), Mr. Jude Ngaji who led detectives from the Cross River State Police command Headquarters in Calabar told journalists after the operation that the brothel has become a security threat to the State, as it now serves as a criminals den and hideout for some of the wanted criminals who commit heinous crimes in the metropolis.
“Each time you pass here at night, you find under-aged girls of about 13 and 14 years standing by and waiting for men. This place has become an area of concern to the State and Cross Riverians.
“This place has become a Sodom and Gomorrah in Cross River and the raid was carried out to stop prostitution and criminality in the state. All the girls that were caught here are prostitutes and some of them were caught in a compromising position.
“No law legalizes prostitution in Nigeria. The girls will be tried in court and we will ensure that they are returned back to their respective states.’’
Some residents of the area who spoke to CrossRiverWatch however expressed concerns that the government may, as always, not be sincere in their bid to rid the brothel of criminals.
Some of the respondents who did not want to be named said that was not the first time security agents were coming there to shut down the place, but that soon after, the place is reopened and everything returns to the way it used to be.
A lady who sells liquor opposite the brothel told our reporter that: “Honestly, the first time I came here, I never thought I will spend more than three months here. But lack of money has kept me here for over 2 years. There is no week you wake up and not see a dead body around because of this place. All kinds of hard drugs are sold there and so many little underage girls are all over looking for money from prostitution. If government can make sure that this place is finally closed, it will be nice. But every time they come and close the place and arrest the “Ashewo” (prostitutes), they will go and bribe government people and before you know it, they are back to business. So we just dey look.”