Nollywood Media | 7 June 2009 22:01 CET

Inside the wild life of Campus pimps

Source: http://nollywoodgists.com

Safe and covertly vicious, university campus pimps in the country have coolly wormed their ways into the social circuits nationwide.
Parties hardly click until one or two of them “grace the occasion” with a bevy of pretty girls in their notebooks and on their payrolls.

Highflyers
At LASU, a self effacing pimp simply called Ben “freights” and airlifts girls to Abuja.
“Whenever there's a big event, I get an order for 20 – upto 30 girls. So, I package them for the 'pay masters' who will, of course pay into my account. The money is for ticket and taxi, and small, small expenses. After the show, the pay master will pay the agreed amount and we fly back”, Ben explained.

Mr Fix-it
According to Ben, a night out for each of his girls attracts N10,000. A weekend in Lagos, the girls grudging charge between N50,000 and N30,000.

For Ben, “Mr. fix-it”, for the deal to go through, you must stuff his pocket with N150,000. To prove his class, Ben rides a clean Toyota Camry lives in a tastefully furnished 3-bedroom apartment off campus. Though the dictionary defines a pimp as a man who engages women in prostitution in brothel and on the streets, but in the Nigerian context, women have a large share of the business.

At University of Lagos, Akika Star is the toast of most social events in the city of Lagos. Though her real first name is Stella but her alias, Star, twinkles and winkles as brightly as her reputation.
For four weeks our reporter traversed some campuses around the country, delving deep into the world of undergraduate sin city barons.

For fun or material gains their “pawns” – fellow students blindly fall into their traps and clutches without knowing.

A big 'Gbedu'
Most times it begins with an invitation to “a big Gbedu with the correct guys in town”. Linked by a source, http://nollywoodgists.com posed to 'Star' as a potential client and sneaked into her closely guarded world.
Known around as “a happening babe”, when a client 'places an order', Star quickly sends text messages, connects and recruits the girls she wants for the outing and summons a meeting, and most times adds a few extras to the number of girls ordered.

“I have some regular girls I go out with. They are up to 20 but if your demand is more, I can double the number. But I need time”, she said.
Star preferred a week or at least four days notice. Hear her: “What I hate is someone rushing me. Imagine coming to me on Friday night for a Saturday night out. That's too tight. I can only listen to you if I'm not booked”.

Fair in complexion and friendly, Amina of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State bears an iconic first name. Like the legendary Queen of Zaria, she says “the girls have a choice to go out and play with whoever they like.
“We're all adults. Anybody can decide who to go out with. Here at Samaru, we don't force anybody. If I call you and you don't want to go out, no problem”.

Patrons in high places
At the University of Jos, Bulus holds sway. He forays with his tight network of girls to adjoining states like Bauchi, Kaduna, Gombe, Taraba and Nasarawa.
His patrons – “my powerful friends”, as he prefers to call them, are mostly top government functionaries and businessmen.
Coming from a humble background, Bulus over the years uses proceeds of his wheeling – dealing in women to pay his way through school.

Smiling broadly, he told http://nollywoodgists.com pimping is not an easy job. “Hmm, to arrange girls on campus no dey easy-o. You have to spend and spend and prove you are capable before any girl will agree to follow you”.

Depraved taste
http://nollywoodgists.com found out, it is a lot easier for pimps to hook up with girls. But the difficult part is in ensuring the girls “behave well” on outings and treat the clients well.
“You must also make sure that the men you are giving the girls are good. Some men are wicked.
They will use the girls and pay little money, Bulus revealed.
Another worrisome part for pimps is that some men have a penchant for kinky stuff. Some have wild depraved tastes.

“The men don't care. These girls they carry are even young enough to be their daughters. A good organizer must make sure the men you give girls to, do not use them rough. If any thing happens to the girls, people will start to ask questions, “Akin of University of Ilorin said.

Territorial control
Campus pimps imitate the viciousness of their counterparts in the cults of the ivory tower: they fiercely fight and scramble for girls and clients.
http://nollywoodgists.com 's investigation reveals, they start vying for girls at the beginning of every academic session.
“When Jambites (new students) come, you have to rush after them, target the pretty, classy ones. If you try hard, before the end of the first semester, they will become your friend and play along with you”, Mike, a popular undergraduate at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said.

Tatoo branding
Some campus pimps brand their girls with tattoo. As a badge of pride and social class, some girls willingly get branded with floral, butterfly or a heart pierced with arrow on their biceps, ankle, tigh, hip or on other private, intimate parts.

To ensure loyalty of the girls in their “notebooks”, the pimps keep them under their thumb with “pecks” (gifts) and “red eyes” (threats).
“You don't understand, we invest in those girls. It's like trading and buying a product. For this, you must not fail to sell for profit”.
Ade, Lagos State University (LASU) undergraduate said.

Cult Connection
http://nollywoodgists.com investigation reveals that some campus pimps have links with cult groups ravaging campuses across the country. These boys use the money generated to fund cult activities. It's really a dangerous trend.
When they graduate, they become bigger and menacing”, a lecturer at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, who craves anonymity said.

Punishable offence
The campus pimps are obviously aware of the legal implications of their illicit, exploitative, morally bankrupt business. This explains why they shy away from publicity and scrutiny.
A lawyer with Adekunle Ojo and Associates Barrister Godwin Ewa says the nation's Penal Code (for the north) stipulates 10 years imprisonment without option of fine for any offender.
The Criminal Code (for the south) states that first offenders risk two years imprisonment with caning.
“Our law book is adequate. Sections 216 – 227 of the criminal code make ample provision against lacuna. The courts are ever ready.

But the problem is the ever compromising law enforcement agencies especially the police,” he said.

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