How we were mercilessly raped by soldiers – Tarkwa Bay girls
By HENRY UMAHI (umahi@sunnewsonline.com)
Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sunday, March 29 this year was a day inhabitants of Tarkwa Bay, a Lagos island, especially the women, would not forget in a hurry. That day, a detachment of soldiers, numbering over 300 and armed to the teeth invaded the area in the wee hours. Mission? To cleanse the notorious island crawling with iniquities.

However, the soldiers not only went beyond their mandate but also added their personal programme. They mercilessly raped young girls and women, at, an instance, in a sex orgy.
Narrating their ordeal in the hand of the rapist soldiers, some ladies, who were sexually abused, said that the rampaging soldiers had forceful carnal knowledge of them at gunpoint, in the open and in their rooms.

Saturday Sun gathered that the soldiers stormed the island in a commando style at 4.00a.m that day, firing sporadically. They broke down doors and windows. The soldiers also smashed heads and broke limbs.

After subduing the residents, the women were raped in turns by the soldiers.
It was gathered that after the rape spree, the soldiers took away over 40 people, to the nearby naval yard.

Saturday Sun gathered that to escape from the brutality of the soldiers, some of the frightened residents jumped into the sea and swamps in the area. There were fears that some may have drowned, as an unidentified body was seen floating in the sea some days after the operation.
One of the rape victims, who identified herself simply as Grace, narrated her ordeal thus: “A few minutes after I entered my room, after dancing with my friends at Blue Dreams Bar on the island, I started hearing the sound of gun being fired everywhere.

Fear gripped me and I didn’t know what to do. At that time I was alone in the room, as my roommate had gone out to answer the call of nature in the bush because there is no toilet at Tarkwa Bay. There was commotion outside, I heard people shouting. Then our door flew open and a soldier brandishing gun and horsewhip charged in. I was shaking and he tore of my sleeping gown and raped me at gun point.”

Sobbing, the lady from Warri, Delta State, added that after assaulting her, the soldier took her handset, money and trinkets.

Asked if the rapist used condom, Grace shook her head and said: “He didn’t use condom. When I asked him to use condom because I had some packs in the room, he slapped me across the face and I almost fainted. He was smelling alcohol. Although I am a hustler (prostitute), I have never seen anything like that in my life. The man was an animal. He was raping me and cursing me at the same time. His manhood is like that of a horse, it was almost coming out of my mouth. I vomitted later. He bruised me all over.”

She said that one week after the incident, she is yet to see or hear from her roommate, Doris.
Another victim, who gave her name as Sandra, said that she was raped by two soldiers that day.
“Two of them (soldiers) raped me that day,” Sandra said reluctantly. “Those men were evil. They took everything I have. They took my phones, my money, my jewellery. One of them even removed the ring on my finger. They are bastards.”

She disclosed that none of the men used condom while having sex with her.
However, the Benue State indigene said that the soldiers would regret their action thereafter, refusing to elaborate. She said that after the assault, she relocated to Apapa.
Another girl, who was raped said that the soldiers behaved as if they were sex-starved. She said that one of the soldiers ordered her to undress and without even making effort to “put her in the mood” just pounced on her.

The girl, who gave her name as Ashanu, said: “The soldiers just grabbed me after I removed my dress at gun-point. His manhood was already erect and he forced himself into me. It was painful and I had tears in my private part. He went on pumping me and it took a long time before he released. He just got up, put on his trousers and ordered me to follow him. I cried because of the pains in my private part.”
On his part, Ted described his escape as a miracle. “They beat the daylight out of me,” he said, showing his broken skin.

“They were everywhere, beating and kicking us like animals. I can only describe my escape as a miracle because I was one of those they caught initially but when I saw the chance I ran into the swamp and waited till later in the day before finding my way out of the place. Over 40 others were arrested and taken to the navy base. They said we were criminals, that Tarkwa Bay is a hideout for criminals. But all of us cannot be criminals.”

Another escapee, who refused to identify himself, said that he actually bought his freedom.
His words: “I was one of the people the soldiers caught but I gave money to one of them and he allowed me to escape. You know, I have always known that there will be trouble someday at Tarkwa Bay, so I had always prepared for it. I always had all my money inside my shorts pockets. It was from there I gave one of them N2, 000 and he allowed me to run away.”

At present, Tarkwa Bay is almost a ghost town, as many of the residents have deserted the place. It was, however, gathered that those who have nowhere to go sneak into the place to pass the night and leave at dawn.

The invasion of Tarkwa Bay is coming a few weeks after Saturday Sun published a special investigative report on February 7, exposing the atrocities going on in the island. The report, which elicited effervescent reactions across the country, was entitled, EVIL ISLAND. Tarkwa Bay, Nigeria’s Sodom and Gomorrah, where sex, drugs are done in the open.

The report noted: “To talk about ‘zipping up’ or sexual restraint in Tarkwa Bay is to talk gibberish. Around every corner, sex crawls like a disease. Pubescent girls and not-so-young ladies dressed in skimpy attires barter their company to men who have money and willing to spend it. It is common to see couples kissing and smooching openly, irrespective of the number of eyes fixed in their direction. Some of the girls hand over sexual favours, just after some drinks. Indeed, sex is cheap at Tarkwa Bay.”

The report further maintained that “Tarkwa Bay is also a haven of criminals. Investigation revealed that the place serves as a hideout for criminals. After committing crimes in other places, some of the criminals retreat into Tarkwa Bay to cool off. Also, some of the men are neck deep into pipeline vandalism. In the place, a 50-litre of diesel sells for N2,000. Tarkwa Bay is in a world of its own. In the entire island, there is not even a single police man.”

Perhaps, on account of the report, the soldiers moved in to remove the bad eggs and cleanse the inland. But can evil be eradicated with evil?