Where are our Adikpo brothels? By IorliamAmo Shija Adikpo, Kwande Local Government, Benue State , has undergone dramatic changes in the last 30 years. The major is the sudden disappearance of brothels or ashawo places, as we knew them, then. Also the replacement of Cinema halls, as churches or sports viewing centre! In the the early 1980s up to the early 1990s, when I have been observing the dramatic changes, I saw Adikpo prominent brothels giving way and in their place other budding buildings taking over. There were about 5 promint brothels in Adikpo up to late 1990s, the most popular was known as Benue City; it was owned by late Mr Akaazua Asan, located near the Adikpo round about. There was Another at Kajo upstairs close to the then African Continental Bank building, Aji Mande had a brothel along the Obudu road, Aba Nor had a brothel close to Tse Adikpo at the heart of the town; there was another at Humbe Guest house close to Terdoo Guest house, and then the popular thatched Houses owned by a woman known simply as Wan Numa, down the Adikpo market. That place is now taken over as a palm wine joint owned by a lady known as Che Gbem! Like prominent brothels of yore like Yakamata, Starlight in Gboko and Adoms Club in Makurdi, which are still standing, our brothels model of operation was not different. Girls, and in some cases, aged ladies hired rooms at any of these brothels, and there, they had customers come in, pay a feel and buy their products. As a small boy, the simplicity that activities at these places were accommodated in and arround Adikpo, surprised me. It was not a big deal for someone to point at a lady in broaddaylight and say, This is one of the new girls at Benue City or a guy would say, I was in Wan Numa yesterday There was a rich man in those days in Adikpo, his name was Terver Avule. He had a lot of vehicles, the inscription on his vihicles was Shange la mwem. This man played a significant role in Adikpo social life. It was him, who would bring renowned Tiv musicians like King one Abua, Atule Hom and the likes to Adikpo to perform. It was one of these visits by the leper dancer, Atule, put together by Avule, that I entered one of the brothels, Benue City for the first time in the late 1980s. I was too small to have gone there to buy anything, but I cant forget that I saw naked girls.. I was very unlucky for my elder brother, Terna Shija saw me and didnt only give me hard knocks but also took me out of the place; ensured that I went home. But curiously, he went back to the city. Today, all our brothels have given way for better ventures, in my own estimation. What used to be a bar at Benue city has been compactmentalized in to small shops where Igbo men sell different wares. In Aji Mande, the bar is a sports viewing centre while the rooms have been hired out for residential purposes. At Kajo too, after undergoing a lot of changes, including at a point being a sports centre, the bar is now housed by a photo printing studio... I was engaging a friend sometime last year and he argued that the sudden disappearance of these brothels from Adikpo have created a worse situation in a town that thought it wise so early in its history to have brothels. I have turned my searchlight on what he considered worse situation. I might someday write on that too.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:23:17 +0000