Prostitute dies ‘on duty’, lands client in trouble

The popular Tiv yam market, in Alaba Rago, along the Badagry expressway, Lagos is always a beehive of activities. In the day time, business activities thrive, with traders from different parts of the country shopping. At night, commercial sex workers cluster around to compete for male customers.

But a bizarre drama, which changed the turn out of the night event, occurred recently, after one of the commercial sex workers was found dead inside a room in an hotel in the area. The deceased , later identified as Faith Akin, was reportedly discovered naked with foamy substance on her mouth. There were different accounts of how 24-year-old Faith died, but a version said she was poisoned before the suspect had carnal knowledge of her. Another version had it that the suspect, identified as Nuru, took a local sex stimulant which the deceased could not withstand. Yet another account said that the suspect intended to use the dead lady’s virginal fluid for money ritual. But in this exclusive interview with the suspect, detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID), Yaba, he described all the accounts as false.Although he claimed the deceased was his girl friend, when asked what her name was, he couldn’t say. But after a while, he admitted to have picked her among the commercial sex workers that beckoned on him that night. Narrating how it happened, Nuru said, “ I do not know her name like I earlier claimed. But I usually saw her around the area every night. So, that night, I told her I would be needing her all through the night and she billed me N2,000; we checked into the hotel at about 11p.m. I had her twice all through”. Asked if he took any sexual enhancer, he shook his head and replied, “ No. I only took Indian hemp. I did not take buratancshi (local sexual enhancer) as speculated.” Also asked at what point he noticed his companion was no longer breathing, he replied, “ I cannot tell because, most times , these girls will just stay calm while you do your ‘thing’. So, I did not know if she was dead. Again , I never had any sinister motive . I was not with any charm, neither did I strangle her. She was the person that undressed herself”. But one of the hotel attendants reportedly stated that they sensed trouble in the morning after the suspect went to ease himself. According to his statement, “ when he went out to ease himself, he left the door ajar and, when I peeped in, I noticed the girl was foaming from the mouth and I quickly rushed to report”. Report also said the suspect was caught right in the act when policemen from Ojo police division, who were contacted, arrived the hotel. But 28-year-old Nuru maintained: “ I did not know when she died. The next thing I saw in the morning were policemen and some of the hotel staff. It was then I knew something was wrong. If I knew she was dead, at least I would have fled the scene to avoid being arrested. I stayed back because I was not aware. At a point, I thought she was sleeping. Since I have been sleeping with women, a thing like this had never happened to me. “I did not buy her any food because most of these ashewo do not allow their male customers to buy them food simply because they would think you want to either poison them or induce them to sleep , without paying them after the ‘show’. I did not also buy her any drink. Immediately she came in , I gave her N1,000 as part payment , with the intention to pay her the balance in the morning. That has always been the tradition”. When news of Faith’s death filtered around, next day, her partners in business reportedly avoided their Tiv yam market zone, apparently for fear of being arrested . Also, some hawkers who sell local viagra (sex enhancer ) there, were nowhere, as they also feared they would be arrested, following the rumour that the suspect took one of the local sex enhancer he bought from one of the hawkers. But back at the deceased home, her mother, was shocked as she is reportedly trying to come to terms with the reality of her daughter’s death. Faith, as gathered, told her mother she was going to visit a friend that fateful day but never returned home. Apprehension set in after waiting for two days without any knowledge of her whereabouts, until the news was broken to them through a friend of Faith. N uru was moved from Ojo police division to the Lagos SCID for further investigations, from where he might be charged to court, while the remains of 24-year-old Faith, who hailed from Ikare- Akoko, Ondo State have been buried by her family.