IN DAY TIME THEY WOULD SHOUT "DESTROY THE PLACE! BUT DEAD IN THE NIGHT YOU SEE THEM SNEAK INTO THE PLACE TO SIP COLD 'ROCK' AND MIX WITH WOMEN OF EASY VIRTUE - BY OKONKWO SAMUEL

As the noisiest part of the metropolis, it has the notoriety of
harbouring close to 500 prostitutes, mostly divorcees, school drop-out
and war victims.
Gariki is one popular joint in Awka South. Any new comer to the state
Capital and new students is first of all attracted to the place.
Engaged in Prostitution as family business. The interesting situation
in Gariki Amansea where it is family-based business; where you see a
man, his wife and children. The husband is the pimp that collects the
money and the customer goes in to sleep with the wife or daughters.
We also have some of the situations there, where they have daughters,
14, 15 years old who ought to be in school, but they engage in sex
work.
It is not that Gariki holds much good in Prostitution as family business
We have an interesting situation in a place called Amansea where it is
family-based business; where you see a man, his wife and children. The
husband is the pimp that collects the money and the customer goes in
to sleep with the wife or daughters.
We have some of the situations there, in Amansea where they have
daughters, 14, 15 years old who ought to be in school, but they engage
in sex work.
the real sense of the world, but because its a place which have over
the year assumed such a notoriety in small crimes and prostitution
that only the able bodies walk through it at mid-night. Gariki in all
respect could be likened to the BAYAN-GARI "Bauchi's lively Ghetto".
A conservative estimate puts the number of hotels, brothels and other
fun spots in the area at 500. Gariki holds the highest Hausa's
settlement in the Anambra State record in lawlessness.
It is the noisiest part of the metropolis, and has the notoriety of
harbouring close to 500 prostitutes, mostly of them divorcees, school
drop-outs and war victims.
In august 1995 a pub-crawler nearly lost his life in an encounter he
had with a call girl. The call girl simply called Esther was said to
have a plunged a dagger into the body of her lover-boy keeping her
permanently as his right girl friend.
There was disagreement and tension went high as Esther kePt dates with
other men and the lover-boy watched restlessly. But the lover-boy lost
eventually, because his attempt to stop the call girl from dating the
other men ended in his being hospitalised for nearly 12 months.
That's the kind of stories that one often hears from Gariki Amansea Awka south
A tenant said, he lives there simply because he had no alternative
accommodation.
A pastor once told me that his soul is daily troubled. "Each night,"
the reverend gentleman complained, "I used to over-hear men discussing
sin with their call girls."
Mind crimes are usually committed in the area. These range from thefts
to burglary. At a stage, police had to be planted in the area to check
some of these lawlessness.
"Remove Gariki, Amansea Awka will look very dull and hausa's
settlement will have no place to go"
Speaking with some of the free women interview, said they are no
longer having it easy. They said the arrival of AIDS has scared most
of their customers. "Anyway", one of them said "lifemust go on."
The question is this:
Is this place called "GARIKI" worth destroying???