•‘It brings good life; can’t quit anytime soon even after marriage’
•Medical Expert: Hook-ups are channels for transmission of HIV, HPB, funga
In recent times, the slang “hook-up” has somewhat become a gateway to a coded industry for sex. It’s a subtle way of paying for sex for tech savvy call girls, who are one step ahead of conventional prostitutes. In this story, ISIOMA MADIKE and REGINA OTOKPA, delved into the world of refined “Oloshos” in Nigeria
Prologue
Hook-up, another form of corporate prostitution, is silently gathering momentum in the country. The girls have not only monetised casual sex; they have turned it into a booming business. This culture in Nigeria has become so enticing that even regular working class ladies engage in it.
It has not only become a vocation but full time occupation for many. Whatever the class or status; young, old, beautiful, ugly, rich, poor, classy or old fashioned, employed and unemployed, clean and dirty, a good number of the female gender have normalised the act of sleeping with strangers, men they have no emotional attachment with.
The act is not considered shameful by those who engage in it; they gladly talk about it openly and encourage others to join. They now publicly admit it’s a way of life.
However, some who are reserved find subtle ways of passing their messages across, but making sure they hit a mark. Besides being viewed as the fastest means of making money and living comfortable lives, some engage in the act to expand access to certain networks or social class, get contracts and projects or jobs, satisfy wild sexual fantasies, or meet a certain standard of living. In fact, sex has never been this commercialised. Today, it’s gaining strength in that more people are starting to live this way.
The girls and internet fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys”, undeniable alliance in this business is well known. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which have also granted them access to a wider audience, allows them to often showcase lavish lifestyles. They love expensive fashion, jewellery, and luxury cars. These give them a sense of false life, making them believe that such a lifestyle is sustainable.
The need to sustain an extravagant lifestyle in turn creates an undue pressure, making them feel compelled to continue with this trade. The hook-up culture in Nigeria, according to many, has destroyed the fabrics of romantic relationships.
To them, hooking up is meant for experiencing casual sexual encounters and beginning relationships. But it is also a means for achieving not only their sex desires but making money to live a lavish lifestyle. Many years ago, prostitutes were domiciled in a brothel.
They soon graduated to assembling in a particular area where they display their bodies and waiting to be picked up. Then it evolved to dating apps like Inmessage and Tinder. Today, however, there are hookup ladies everywhere; on the streets and social media platforms.
Indeed, prostitution is constantly being remoulded to give the oldest profession a new identity. It is said that young girls and adults with low self-esteem, physiological issues, depression and loneliness are more susceptible to hook-ups mostly via mobile telephone (dating sites).
They often download an application on a dating website to find another person who is looking for the same pleasure Some believe that online dating platforms have revolutionised the way people meet potential sex partners. The dating platforms, according to this belief, offer an abundance of options, allowing people to connect with others they might never have crossed paths with.
The convenience and accessibility of online dating, they say, have made it a popular choice for busy individuals seeking companionship. However, this convenience comes at a cost.
Confessions of ladies
Dressed in her skimpy attire with a mini veil, a middle-aged lady stood at a distance from her colleagues, each jostling for customers along the notorious Allen Avenue, Ikeja, the Lagos State capital Christmas was fast approaching and she, like her colleagues, needed a “quickie” in a nearby hotel to make the money they desired for yuletide.
Out on the streets of Lagos as an undercover, one of our reporters along with two of his friends pretended to be interested in the bodily wares on display. As soon as the driver pulled over, they beckoned on one of them. In an ensuing conversation, she revealed her identity as Ezenwa from Delta State.
Tall with curvy hips, Ezenwa looks everything a man wants in a lady: beautiful, slim, and fair complexioned with pointed nose. Her English was also impeccable. Indeed, it was a mixed moment of discipline and temptation. But her trade was that of pain and pleasure as she revealed after some bottles of beer lager and peppered ‘asun’ that goes with it.
She opened up, saying that “Hookup, is not what I enjoyed doing, but I had to because I got some bills to pay. Anyways, different ladies have their intentions in this trade. But not for pleasure, I can tell you as we all hustle for good pay to enable us to live a good comfortable life, you know. “Sometimes, I feel ashamed of myself doing this job, but no regrets as I feel good anytime I see my bank account bubbling.
However, we have some ladies who are financially stable; they are mostly from rich homes and they engage in hook-ups for the fun of it and essentially for pleasure. Those are the few exceptions, anyway. “There are also teenage faces striving for clients among us. It is sad, disheartening even as it bothers me a lot seeing such young girls venturing into such a business. This business is not a noble one I must confess.
That is why it hurts me whenever I see little girls bringing themselves into it. Though we make money from it, unfortunately, we get addicted to the urge. “We operate like other prostitutes; the difference is in the packaging. Clients do take us home to their houses and pay handsomely for our services.
There are also those who prefer hotels. This category of clients usually prefers ‘quickies’; they pay less. “A whole night goes for between N100,000 and N300,000 depending on your bargaining power; although one can be so lucky to catch wealthy ‘mugus’. Those ones don’t bargain; they will just give you from N500,000 and above.
In some instances, it is dollars and euros or pounds sterling that talk.” Asumpta works with a bank during the day and engages in corporate service as she calls it, at night, weekends and whenever she has spare time. “It’s not really about money,” she said, adding, “I just like to meet and frolic with men since I’m not so lucky with female friends.
I also think I just like good sex, but in variety.” Asked if she accepts if paid, she responded, “Of course I accept payment, who wouldn’t? My salary can barely take me a week. I need to pay up my bills in Abuja; bank work won’t do that for me.” Students, especially those in the university, are also into hook-ups in Nigeria.
For instance, Amina, a final year student of the University of Abuja, has been into pimp business for some years. Fondly called Maama by her clientele, she takes pride in what she describes as helping ladies find purpose in life, by giving them viable financial platforms to adequately meet their financial needs.
She said: “I get 20 per cent of the amount paid by my clients (men). The majority of the girls I pimp are happy doing it. It’s fast and good money. If business is good in a week one person can get between N200,000 to N350,000 and that’s for small clients.
If lucky to get the big fishes, one can land over a million in a week or two; it all depends on who demands your services. “Unless one is working in NNPCL or CBN, you can’t get such an amount as a monthly salary in this country.” She further disclosed that when there’s a good deal, she either runs it personally or passes it on to those very close to her.
Through interactions with some young ladies in Abuja, our reporters gathered that besides pimping, the majority of hook-ups were being carried out via some online apps and under the guise of beauty pageantry/modelling. With decaying morals, youngsters have begun to take to social media to display their rewards from hook-ups. Vivian, who also spoke to one of our reporters, maintained that with the enormous benefits she receives, she wasn’t quitting anytime soon even after marriage.
“I get good money for just spreading my legs, money that other jobs cannot fetch me even after toiling for months. It’s runs till the day I die,” she added. She’s however saddened by the manner in which many ladies are today into this bodily business, even as she lamented that the sweetness of fast money has blinded many to the consequences of hook-ups.
Vivian said: “It’s a sad one. They make so much in a day compared to what a job or their jobs fetch for them and so it’s difficult to win them back from such unfortunate lifestyles. Some are lucky to meet with men who give them houses and cars besides the heavy financial benefits they get. That’s why you see ladies who are working or not engaged in such a lifestyle rushing into it.
“Even when proof of how Yahoo boys, ritualists are killing and using them for money rituals are all over the place, they are blinded to the sad fact that maybe one day, they might fall into the wrong hands. Can we really blame some of them?
The economy is too harsh on us. “How far can the salary either public or private sector pay takes us home in Nigeria now? It’s a pathetic situation that might not go down anytime soon; rather, more converts will be recorded until something is done about the welfare of Nigerians.” Yet, some days can be really tough out there. A younger convert, who craved anonymity, told our reporter that she is often very unlucky with clients, but would not quit.
She claimed to have escaped ritual attempts on two occa- sions by clients who just wanted a cut from her soft flesh. “On one of those crazy occasions, a guy picked me up at night. We settled for N70,000 for a short time and he took me away in his flashy car.
In spite of my protestation, he drove far to an unknown location and after getting to a quiet and bushy area, he stopped, removed a gun and shot me on my foot, and collected my expensive iPhone and my ATM card. “He told me I was lucky he was in his good mood because he would have delivered me for a ritual. He confessed that on some bad days he would not want all that he collected from me but my vital organs.
It was like a dream really as I couldn’t believe such a refined looking guy would be involved in things like that. The incident actually opened my eyes to the risks involved in a corporate prostitution called hook-up “But I can’t quit now because I’m already addicted to the trade and the good life it gives me.
I can’t just imagine going back to my earlier low life, never,” she said. The men have their experiences too. Sunday, in his early 40s, had an encounter with the hook-up girls sometime in February, 2024. He had gone to Benin to spend the weekend.
He lodged in one of the hotels in the heart of the city. When Sunday came out in the night at the pool bar for some drinks, many of these ladies swamped on him like bees.
“Many of the girls are pretty and young. My greatest surprise was that some of them that I approached couldn’t accept anything less than N350,000 for a night. It was then I realised how far this culture had spread,” he narrated to one of our reporters.
Social media’s effect
In recent years, the rise of social media influencers in Nigeria has created a new class of celebrities who often appear to live extravagant lifestyles, flaunting wealth and luxury. But, beneath the glamorous facade lies a troubling reality: many of these influencers, according to reports, engage in transactional relationships.
Platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, and emerging Chinese apps such as Bingo and Chatsea have become hotspots for young Nigerians seeking financial gain through intimate encounters, raising questions about the motivations behind their actions and the implications for the larger society.
Other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have equally transformed ordinary individuals into influencers, granting them access to a global audience. These influencers often showcase lavish lifestyles, expensive fashion, luxury cars, and exotic travel experiences, enticing their followers to believe that such a lifestyle is attainable.
However, the reality is more complex as many influencers are said to rely on hook-ups to maintain this image. The need to sustain an extravagant lifestyle, according to those in the know, creates a “pressure cooker environment”. Young men and women, particularly those in their 20s, are usually lured into pursuing this risky lifestyle.
This culture has become more popular not only among people from the younger generation, but also among older ladies. To the ladies, it may seem like an escape route from poverty, but to various experts, there is usually another side to the story. It is the belief of these experts that hookups may have some negative impact on the health of these ladies.
Experts react
Dr Usman Abdulrahman, a Consultant Physician/Medical Director of ASCL Medical Centre, Ajaokuta, Kogi State, expressed worries that ladies and men who engage in hookups were exposed to both medical and psychological issues. These include transmission of different kinds of STDs including HIV, hepatitis B, as well as STIs such as bacterial fungal infections like candidiasis.
Again, there could be injury that can lead to bleeding if the intercourse is traumatic, Abdulrahman said. He further explained that any accidental mishap on protective barriers, especially condom burst during an active sexual intercourse, leads to a lot of mental and psychological issues such as transient psychological mental torture and low productivity occasioned by fear of possibly contracting HIV or other STDs.
He said: “The parties usually have this mental stress of not knowing if they have HIV when there is a breakdown of the barrier (condom). That can cause a lot of psychological issues which can definitely affect their productivity at work.
“This kind of fear most times leads to psychosomatic disorder; you feel like you are ill, you imagine that you have a fever or an infection. Many times we encounter people who say ‘I don’t know whether I picked something or I noticed an infection.’ So, it’s one of the common mental issues.”
“Some people don’t even use the barrier at all. Sometimes when they meet some of them, maybe they’re out of condoms that day but because the mood is already high, they will en- gage and deal with that mental fear.
There can be transient psychological mental torture.” Abdulrahman said there was need to emphasise the adoption of preventive measures; use of preventive barriers by both the men and women, regular HIV test and counselling, uptake of Hepatitis B vaccine as well as Human Papillomavirus (HPV) against cervical cancer.
A Physiologist with one of the public hospitals in Lagos, who does not want her name in print, also pointed to factors that, she said, push people into prostitution.
They include: poverty, unemployment, economic challenges, and other environmental influences. She added: “Some studies have found that casual sex can lead to negative mental health outcomes like anxiety, depression, regret, and poor self-esteem. However, factors like alcohol usage, not knowing your partner, and not being satisfied can make a negative emotional response more likely.”
Also, the Police recently said that most cases of missing young ladies and girls being used for ritual purposes in Nigeria are connected to the prevalent hook-up culture sweeping across the country.
The former Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command, Omolola Odutola, was quoted to have said that young girls and ladies within the age range of 20 and 32 often fall victims of ritual killing menace.
“This particular menace is very serious and I would like a lot of young people to understand the danger in the hook-up culture. Today, we have lots of reports of missing persons. By the time we start an investigation, not less than 10 young girls and ladies go missing daily.
“In-depth investigations also revealed that those cases are not caused by accidents. Most of them are connected to hook-up channels and apps. They fall victim to strangers, who casually invite them to unknown places, and eventually fall victims to being used for ritual purposes,” she said.
