Authorities clampdown on sex workers

Islamic authorities in the Nigerian city of Bauchi have reportedly launched a crackdown on sex workers identified by the Red Cross in a census.



The Red Cross carried out the census amid efforts to tackle the spread of HIV in the north-eastern state.



Muslim majority Bauchi is governed by the Islamic Sharia law.



After the census had identified 320 women, the local Sharia commission reportedly ordered that they be rounded up.



Mustapha Babe, a member of the Sharia commission in Bauchi, has denied that women have been detained, saying the committee responsible for law and order was only supervising parts of the city.



Between 75 and 100 of the 320 women are said to have so far tested positive for HIV.