For many commercial sex workers in
Nigeria, the internet has become a blessing
as it is increasingly becoming a major
avenue for them to meet clients and
patrons.
P.M.NEWS findings show that the prostitutes
majorly use social media including Twitter,
Facebook, Eskimi, Twoo, Tango, Blackberry
Messenger and 4clique to advertise
themselves to likely patrons either directly
or through agents.
While some of these media like Eskimi,
Twoo forbid members from uploading and
displaying nude photographs, others
including Facebook, BBM and Twitter do not
really give their members such restrictions
apart from emphasising its rule against
infringement of privacy.
"Some of these social media afford us the
opportunity to display some of our assets to
attract guys like you," one of the girls on
Twitter, who later gave her name simply as
Bisi, a resident of Egbeda, told our
correspondent, who had posed as a client.
"The use of social media is even better
because some men are very shy to
approach a lady physically. Some are also
very scared of going to brothels. But on
social media, they are bolder and
encouraged to speak their minds because it
is just like a blind date where they are not
physically with the woman," the 30-year old
Bisi added.
She, like many of her colleagues, have
adopted a strategy to make it easy for them
to meet with a client for sex over an agreed
fee.
"What we do now is to come together-
maybe three of us-and rent an
accommodation where men visit us and
have fun. But before then, we would have
agreed on a fee.
"We fix the appointment after making sure it
would not clash with those of our
roommates. We either also give the
impression that we are sisters or friends
when our customers visit," she said, adding
that in the alternative, they would visit the
"customer" at home after his assurances
that it is safe to do so "or hang out
somewhere else if the customer has enough
money for entertainment and getting a
room.
"I think it is more economical that the
customers visit us, do what they want and
pay rather than getting a venue and
spending more for short time," she said
asking our correspondent which of the
options he wanted.
On Eskimi and Twoo, the ladies are free to
give details about themselves, their stature,
marital status, number of children where
applicable, and what they want from their
likely catch.
P.M.NEWS finding showed that while some
on these media are genuinely searching for
love, others are there to date and flirt as
found on some profile messages.
A 32-year old mother of two, who registered
her profile as Victoria, told P.M.NEWS in an
online chat that her husband left her and
the children for another woman.
"Since then, I have been made to cater for
the children and their education. He does
not care and I can't just allow the children
suffer.
"You also know that it is difficult to find a
man that would marry a woman who has
two children when single ladies are even
finding it increasingly difficult to get a
husband.
"Instead of going about the streets to beg,
the best thing is to make myself available
to men who can afford it. That could help
me take care of myself, the children and my
rent," she confided in P.M.NEWS .
Abuja-based Chidinma, who plies her trade
on Twoo said she is not cut out for men
lesser that 30 years, stressing that many of
them are still children who do not know how
the "sex business" operates.
"I can only date you if you are married. I go
out with only married men and on
exceptional cases, with spoilt children of
wealthy men in Abuja," she said.
She told our correspondent that she lives
with two other ladies in a two-bedroom flat
and that through the business, she now has
a car and has been sponsoring two of her
younger brothers through school.
Philomena, a 28-year old woman from
Akwa-Ibom, who does 'business' majorly on
Twitter explained that she had come to
Lagos at the age of 15 to serve as a house
help. She then graduated into prostitution at
age 20, adding that since then, the business
has paid off.
"I ran away from my the family I was
serving as house help after the woman's
husband continuously tormented me with
sex till the day my madam caught us.
"I then joined a group of girls in a brothel in
Iyana-Ipaja and after a year, I was not
meeting my expectations. So I started
joining girls to seek customers around major
streets.
"But since someone introduced me to
Twitter, things have changed. I have been
getting more clients than when I was at the
brothel. I now live in a rented apartment,
but I select the type of people I bring into
my apartment," she said, adding "I am just
giving you details of myself because I like
you and I believe you are a serious person."
P.M.NEWS finding revealed that women are
not the only ones who pass through agents.
Men are also part of the group.
However, those who seek to be linked up
through agents include men in search of
sugar mummies, adult women in search of
younger men for sexual relationships and
men in need of young ladies.
These agents demand particular amounts
for the different services.
For example, to register for a sugar mummy
on Mature And Rich Sugar Moms And Dads
Hookups, one is expected to pay the sum of
N3,000 while belonging to the BBM group
costs just N500 through recharge cards.
While defending this business strategy, one
of those who told P.M.NEWS that he had
patronised some of the women through
social media, said it was more economical
and "it brings the two of you close even
before you finally meet each other and it
affords you the opportunity to know more
about the kind of woman you want at that
particular period."
Culled from PM News
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