The Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi Local Government Area of Lagos State has sentenced 12 Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) to eight months imprisonment for breach of peace and engaging in prostitution within the state.
The prostitutes sentenced after pleading guilty were among the 19 suspected commercial sex workers apprehended and arraigned by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI after their arrest in Obalende axis of the state.
Meanwhile, the seven others who pleaded not guilty before Chief Magistrate Adefioye of the Special Offences Court were remanded in prison custody until December 18 for further hearing.
The 19 suspects were Oluwaseun Durojaye, F, 20, Joy Felix, F, 24, Opeyemi Azeez, F, 25, Precious Mathew, F, 24, Happiness Kingsley, F, 24, Theresa Edet, F, 30, Ayo Olanrewaju, F, 20, Monica Ebuka, F, 21, Blessing James, F, 22, Favour Samuel, F, 34, Janet Ighumba, F, 24, Marvis Ifeoma, F, 32, Adeyanju Clara, F, 24, Favour Johnson, F, 34, Joy Rafael, F, 24, Promise Joseph, F, 23, Favour Ajoor, F, 28, Joy Onyekachi, F, 28 and Emmanuel Friday, F, 20.
Delivering judgement on the suit yesterday, Adefioye said that they were sentenced for contravening Section 142(1)(a)(b) and 168(1) (d) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.
The Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd), who commented on the suit at the Command Headquarters in Oshodi, stated that the arrests and arraignment were part of consolidated efforts exhausted towards reducing the spate of environmental infractions.
According to him, ‘‘the THEMES agenda of Mr. Governor clearly stated the need for Lagos to be habitable for business and the situation at Obalende has deteriorated over time, prompting the need for us to launch a large-scale enforcement operation against these nefarious elements that want to desecrate our environment which resulted in arrests and multiple secured convictions’’.
Applauding the judgement, Cole insisted that despite the attacks recorded towards operatives in the line of duty, the Agency remains undeterred by the acts of these nefarious elements, stressing that any arrested defaulter will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
The KAI top man also read the riot act to street traders, hawkers to refrain from the display of wares for sale on setbacks, lay-bys, medians, road verges, kerbs, gutter slabs just as he enjoined pedestrians alike to make use of the pedestrian bridges when crossing highways as defaulters will be arrested on a daily and made to face prosecution for endangering their lives.
