On Saturday, the Benghazi Security Directorate announced the dismantling of a prostitution ring, that included men and women of varying African nationalities.
The Directorate said in a statement that it “received information that Nigerians were using a house in Benghazi for prostitution and to hold promiscuous parties.”
Members of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) monitored the house for several days, then undertook a raid of the premises, after obtaining a warrant from the Public Prosecution.
According to the CID statement, “underwear, wigs, and contraceptive pills were found in the suspicious house.” Those arrested have been placed in police custody, and will be referred to the competent authorities to complete the procedures and transfer them to trial.
Earlier this month, the CID arrested four migrants for allegedly running a prostitution ring in the Hawari area of Benghazi, according to Nigeria’s Naija News.
The Libyan authorities said the migrants were arrested during an attempt to solicit a young woman.
“The CID in Benghazi dismantled a prostitution ring and arrested four undocumented migrants including a woman of Nigerian nationality in the Hawari area,” Migrant Rescue Watch said in a tweet, on Sunday. “The 20-year-old female was being sold by her pimp for 50 LYD (ca. 10 USD) per customer,” it added.
All were referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for legal action.
Notably, the Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee, MP Suleiman Al-Hariri claimed that a large number of migrants are involved in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and prostitution.
In a statement published by the Libyan Parliament, Al-Harari expressed its dissatisfaction with the report of the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission in Libya (FFM). He said the report ignored the efforts of the Libyan authorities in combating crime, especially drug trafficking and prostitution.
Al-Hariri added the report is “biased, lacks objectivity, and deliberately distorts the image of Libya. The report also holds Libya alone responsible for illegal migration flows.”
