Some female residents of the Ajegunle area of Lagos State have recounted their ordeals in the hands of armed robbers who reportedly raped and robbed in their neighbourhood.
One of the victims, who identified herself simply as Bose, said the hoodlums, who were armed with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, had been terrorising Tunkarimu, Okorogbo, Ugbenwankwo communities and environs.
The Point gathered that grown up women and minors were being raped in the communities with properties worth millions of naira carted away.
Bose said, “The robbers invaded the community around midnight, screaming: “Ole! Ole!! (thief! thief!’). They were breaking doors and entering into people’s rooms. They hacked people with cutlasses. They entered our residence at Okorogbo Street and raped both married women and young girls.
“There was nothing we could do; we were shouting but nobody could help. There was no way to escape. They were so many. Some said that they were over 100. They raped me and three other people in our residence. They carted away our television, handsets, money and other valuables. My family is still in shock; they raped my younger sister too. I was raped by three men; my younger sister was raped by two men. A woman in my compound was raped in the presence of her husband. They injured her husband when he tried to resist. They hacked him with cutlass and had their way with his wife in his presence.”
She said one of her friends confided in her that she was raped by four men, adding that the hoodlums also beat up her brother.
“They asked her brother to fan them as they had sex with her. The robbers sacked almost all the rooms and there was nothing anybody could do,” Bose recounted.
Another young woman, named Mary, who also disclosed that she was raped in her room at Tunkarimu Street, said, “I regret being a Nigerian.”
Mary alleged that two men raped her.
“I was raped by two men. Mary is not my real name actually. But I want the story to be told. For about five days now, the robbers have been on the rampage and raping innocent people but the police are doing nothing about it. The robbers have been coming and going. They have robbed some families three times or more within one week. They would rape young girls, who had never known any man. Many women also confessed to have been raped,” she disclosed.
Another victim, Segun, said they broke into his cupboard and ate his wife’s soup.
“They were not afraid that the Police could arrive the scene and arrest them,” he said.