FCT Rehab Centre suffers neglect

such acts in the city, the major thing is that we find out from them what they really want to do in life and you would be surprised that 80% of them are not even interested in being rehabilitated but however, some of them still desired to be rehabilitated.

“We already have an existing structure in place that needs a few things to be done in it. It was functional before but the NGO that was in charge of it, the government saw it more like a reap off, so a new system is to be put in place, so we take them in there for those who are willing to be rehabilitated.

“There are various skills that they can make a choice from such as hair dressing, fashion designing, make- up , beads making and these are all things that can provide a comfortable income. But surprisingly, the earlier batches of young girls that were trained, some of them were found in recent arrest, and they were trained, empowered to go and start up their own business and they are back again to the field of prostitution.

“However, government will still play its part knowing quite alright that some will still make a good name out of it,” the director said.

When asked why they continue arresting while they no longer rehabilitate, she said it was not decent to leave a capital city like Abuja littered with prostitutes.

She said they have been under pressure from human rights activists to stop the arrests but that the minister has also mandated them to clear the city of commercial sex workers.

“Recently we caught a 58year-old woman and we have pregnant ones among them, we have some who left their infants locked up in their houses and they come out to the street.

“Like I earlier said, if we arrest them, if the immediate mobile court that is put in place certifies not guilty, then she is free to go but some of them will tell you that ‘I be hustler’, so we counsel them, profile them and the rest are left for the mobile court handled by the magistrate.’’she said.

On the rehabilitation state of centre, the she said a few things have been vandalised there so repairs will have to be carried out before it can become operational again.

She added that the memo for the refurbishing of the centre has already been raised, the administration is interested in seeing the centre come back to life.

Asked what they have done with the most recent prostitutes that were arrested she said: “After facing the mobile court, and those who are actually not found guilty were set free and those who were guilty paid fine. It is about just N200. They were counselled on the implications and some of them get to understand. Counselling does a lot to them and they make a pledge and leave.”