If you pass through the streets of Ajiwe in Ajah town, Lagos, during the day, you’ll notice a lot: sprawling residential estates lining the road, mom-and-pop shops, a few POS operators, children playing roadside games, and the bustling “God is Good” motor park.
A more observant passerby, however, will spot a dingy, beige-coloured, three-story motel called “Travellers Lodge” beside the park. During the day, it’s a casual spot to watch football, grab a drink at the local bar, or buy a pack of Indomie. But as night falls, the motel becomes more than a safe haven for a weary traveller. It becomes a darker identity: a haven for sex work. It’s a common sight to see young women, some teenagers, with revealing mini-skirts and flashy hairstyles loitering around the entrance and veranda, shaking their hips seductively to the rhythm of loud afrobeat music blaring through the speakers; enticing male customers, including noisy intoxicated men from the streets and bus ‘agberos’ (conductors) from the bar, to their rooms.
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I know of this because I have lived in the estate near the surroundings for ten years. I have passed the premises both night and day, and I always knew that something strange was going on. But I never knew the full extent of the happenings there, until I stumbled upon my unlikely confidante, a cleaner named Berenice. Berenice*, who had worked in the lodge since 2020, knew every hidden corner in the motel and had witnessed certain injustices, such as the beating and slapping of these young girls. It was through her accounts of tearful young girls and the men who paid for their innocence that the true extent of the lodge’s dark secret was revealed.
With her help, my colleague Kabir and I were able to infiltrate the premises and learn more about what the lodge truly is.
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The stories of Sweet, Faith and Rose
On different occasions, Kabir and I went undercover to Travellers Lodge as a customer and a prospective sex worker, respectively.
For Kabir, his experience was filled with propositions by three sex workers – Sweet*, Faith* and Rose* – at the bar, a large outdoor space with white plastic chairs and tables. You could buy your drinks at the counter, sit down, and watch the ladies dance on the mounted pillars when they’re available. He was able to convince them to take him to their rooms, where all three women shared their stories.
“It’s just the “hustle””
Sex work for Sweet did not come as a choice but as the only logical explanation towards making money. Her story starts in 2014 when she finished secondary school and came to live with her uncle in Lagos from Rivers State. His wife was rarely at home, and could only be seen once every two weeks. This gave the uncle an opportunity to touch her indecently in her private areas.
“Once that happened to me, I just knew that I had to leave. I spent some years hawking on the streets before a friend introduced me to this place, where I could get more money. Since then, I don’t regret the experience. There are men who come here without even f***ing me. One man came here for two hours, bought me food and drinks, and left without doing a thing. It might not be a good job, but if you know what you’re doing, you’ll enjoy this place. It is just the hustle,” she explained.
Money for Sweet isn’t bad at all. She claims to make up to N50,000 on good nights, and her rent is N6,000 daily (which is the same for all the sex workers). “If you’re not always owing them, you can ask them to go and come back later,” she said.
Sexual violence is a common experience for many of the young women at Travel Lodge. However, such is not peculiar to them. In 2022, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported a significant rise in rape cases. The World Health Organisation says nearly one in three women (approximately 30 per cent) globally have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or acquaintance at some point in their lives.
“Be nice to them and they won’t harass you”
On another occasion, Rose, who also works as a caterer at the lodge, explained to Kabir the process of becoming a sex worker at the lodge – be attractive and have the ability to afford the first day’s rental fee upfront. Unlike a white-collar job, you can even define your working hours: Rose has a “15-hours off, 15-hours on.” Like Sweet, Rose also came to the lodge by unfortunate means, as her shop in Lagos got burnt in October, alongside her place of residence. “Everything I do here is to help me provide money for myself until I can get enough money to have my own place again,” she explained.
“My family cannot know about this”
Unlike Sweet and Rose, not everyone arrived at the lodge in tragic circumstances. Some of the women did not become sex workers due to lack of money. One such woman is Faith, whose older sisters reportedly study medicine and law in the UK. Faith also said her mother is a “Nollywood actress.” She said her parents think she works as a receptionist in a Lagos firm.
Faith, however said she is not proud of the work she does. “I can’t even allow my younger sister into this trade,” she said. “She smokes and dresses scantily, but some of the men here are too rough for her tastes. I too, am only here until my sugar daddy is ready to take me away from this place.”
When asked if she considers the possible health implications of sex work, she said she takes precautions. “I just went for an HIV test last month, and I am clean,” she said.
How did the Travellers’ Lodge come to be?
According to Berenice, the lodge has “different stories” of origin, depending on who you ask. “Some will tell you that the building was built in 2018 by a group of businessmen dealing with drugs that saw customers in the surrounding estates [Thomas and Budo Peninsula Estates] and decided that they could sell their products well here, alongside the side attraction of beautiful girls. Other people will say the original owner of the house only built it for cheap accommodation, but along the line, he sold it off to the current owner (Mr Oracle) who saw business in drugs and prostitution and converted it to a brothel,” she said.
Berenice said different classes of women can be found here. Some are between ages 25 and 35, and they are either runaways or businesswomen looking to make extra income, she said. “Others are within 16-22 years, and those ones are either brought by relatives or university girls wanting to make some money before going back to school.”
When asked if she had witnessed sexual harassment at the lodge, she said, “It depends.”
“Sometimes, you have very rough customers who are drunk, and sometimes, if any of the girls have not made a profit in a while, they just have to attend to them. There’s a particular type of woman they like here – either she is “slim-thick” or “orobo”(fat). I am too thin. I wear a cleaner uniform and I am not here at night, so they barely notice me. What they are strict about here is you paying your rent on time.”
Travellers Lodge: Drugs and law enforcement
When I arrived at the lodge as a potential sex worker, I was told to meet with two “assistants.” One was an average-height, skinny, light-skinned man with an eagle haircut in blue traditional attire named Taiye, and the other was a dark, short, rough-looking man with cornrows and ear piercings whose street name was “Expensive Doggie.” His real name was undisclosed. They were long-term residents of the lodge but also part of Oracle, the manager’s team, who helped to gauge incoming guests and see if they could be “accepted” into the lodge.
They instantly took a liking to me, perhaps due to my light skin, and tried to make me feel comfortable. Expensive Doggie was smoking a cannabis joint and asked me if I would like to take a whiff, but I humbly refused, stating that it wasn’t “my thing.”
Through conversing with them, I learnt that they also work as retailers in an illegal drug distribution chain from their main suppliers at Lagos mainland. “We sell all kinds of drugs here,” Taiye boasted with a mischievous smile, which revealed a silver tooth, “Meth, Ecstasy, Canadian loud, Codeine, you name it! And it’s authentic too. You will sleep with a smile on your face.”
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reports that over 14 million Nigerians use illegal drugs, with cannabis being the most commonly abused substance, alongside cocaine and heroin. The current penalties for drug-related offences include imprisonment for terms ranging from 15 to 25 years for unlawful possession of drugs, while more severe offences may lead to life imprisonment.
I asked them how they were able to flaunt the drugs so publicly in the open: Travellers’ Lodge and the Ajiwe Police Station were only 290 metres apart, and one could have easily made a 4-minute walk to the station to report their crimes. But when I brought this up, the two men laughed in my face. “The DCO in that station is one of our patrons, brothers and our inside man,” Expensive Doggie said. “If there is a raid, it is him that bails us out. Nothing can happen to us,” he said.
Sweet in her conversation with Kabir, also said some policemen dressed in plain clothes visit after work hours to patronise the establishment – and the girls. “I have even had one in my bed before,” she said. “It is a common thing around here.”
“Your age does not matter. All you need is a big body”
The next step in my “initiation” phase after meeting the two lieutenant “assistants” was to meet Oracle, the manager. Now, Oracle is not the easiest person to meet. As the top boss, I needed to speak to the receptionist, who would then call Oracle on the phone. After several occasions of going to the lodge, with no response, I finally got to meet him on a sunny afternoon in a small, dingy room. It was grey both in colour and in ambience, as even though it was clean, the faded nature of the painting on the walls and the wooden cabinets revealed why the room rate would be as low as N6,000. A small LG flat-screen TV was hoisted on the wall. The TV and a wall fan close to it were powered off during my visit. The toilet was very small and the tiles were chipping away.
Oracle was a fair, bubbly, middle-aged-looking man full of life, in a black “AC/DC” slogan T-shirt, brown shorts, and sandals. His eyes had shades of red within their white sockets. We greeted each other and he asked me to state the reason for coming. When I told him I was there to find work, he almost couldn’t believe it. “You look so ajebo. Why are you here? Are you a spy?” he demanded.
When I managed to dissuade his fears, he asked me how old I was, to which I responded, “16.” He said, “That is fine by me. All you need is a big, mature, body.” I then told him that I would think about it, said my thanks, and took my leave.
What the law says about sex work
Nigerian law regarding sex work is complex and varies between regions. While prostitution itself is not expressly criminalized in the Nigerian Constitution, several laws address related activities. For instance, sections 223 and 224 of the Criminal Code prohibit the procurement of women and girls for prostitution, particularly those under the age of eighteen, and impose penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment for offenders. The Federal Capital Territory Penal Code also criminalises solicitation and operating brothels. In northern states, where Sharia law is implemented, prostitution is strictly illegal.
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Underage prostitution is treated severely under Nigerian law. The Criminal Code explicitly states that any person who procures a girl under 18 for sexual purposes commits a misdemeanour, punishable by imprisonment. Additionally, trafficking laws in Nigeria prohibit the exportation or importation of minors for the purpose of prostitution, with severe penalties including up to ten years in prison for those found guilty of such offences. Globally, approximately 40 to 42 million sex workers exist worldwide, with 96 per cent being women. The industry generates around $186 billion annually, with significant prevalence in countries like China, India, and the United States.
What have law enforcement agencies done?
To ask about the claim that the police in the area are in cahoots with Travellers Lodge, I called the Divisional Crimes Officer (DCO) of Ajiwe Police Station, Femi Akinpeloye, who ideally, is in charge of criminal investigations in the district. He said that police officers had raided the lodge repeatedly over illicit activities but did not provide further information. He also refused to comment on the allegations levied against his officers. Also, efforts to get an official response from the Travellers Lodge to our findings were unsuccessful. The motel has no official phone number and officials refused to provide the contact details of Oracle, the manager. A staffer at the facility, named Tobi, said he was “not comfortable responding” to our questions.
Sex work: social right or social menace?
The debate on the decriminalisation of sex work is a complex and nuanced conversation, with arguments on both ends. Supporters in countries such as Canada believe that sex work should be considered a legitimate job, and hence have influenced policymakers to establish laws to protect their rights. Countries like Belgium have even added benefits such as maternal leave and pensions in labour laws for sex workers. In Nigeria, some sex workers have publicly campaigned for their rights.
Many Nigerians do not support the legalisation of sex work. Anthonia Abu, a psychologist, described the experiences of women in such places as Travellers Lodge as a sign of deeper social problems. For her, these women aren’t working here because they want to, but because they feel they have no other choice.
“This breaks down society,” Ms Abu said. “These women are selling something sacred just to survive.”
She said the first step to help such women quit sex work is to help them understand the dangers of their work, especially health risks. “You can’t force them off the streets,” she explained. “They must choose to leave themselves.” Ms Abu said that when women volunteer to change, they’re more likely to succeed.
She also described the societal stigma associated with sex work. “These women are terrified of being judged,” she noted. “Many are too scared to ask for help.”
She described sex workers as “survivors-in-waiting,” looking for the perfect opportunity to transform their lives. “When we support them – not just with money, but with love and understanding – they can rebuild their lives,” Ms Abu said. “Most of these women are smart and hardworking. They just need a chance.”
*The names of the sources asterisked in the report have been altered to protect them from harm.
“This story was produced with support from the Tiger Eye Foundation under the On Nigeria programme, funded by the MacArthur Foundation.”
Page planned and produced by: Ezekiel Oyero
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