•Haven of hard drugs, alcohol, sex
By Sunday Ani
Indeed, the community of Ijora Badia, on the railway line, in Apapa/Ajeromi Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, is a constellation of absurdity. It is a melange of miscreants, roughnecks, gangsters, fraudsters and prostitutes. It also harbours good people, who engage in provision of services, such as hair dressing, pedicure and manicure as well as petty trading, among others.
This Lagos suburb is an enclave that stretches about 400 metres or thereabout along the railway line, which runs from Ijora to Iddo. The environment is filthy with euglena infested brackish lagoon, which, ostensibly, has the capacity to harbour dangerous reptiles. The stagnant, brackish water laced with all kinds of refuse breeds mosquitoes in their millions.
From Ijora bus-stop, a macadamised Fadaini Street, which links the bus-stop with the Ijora Badia railway line community, gives a wrong impression of where it leads. On both sides of the street are shops that display different wares, ranging from electronic equipment to clothes, shoes and bags, among other articles of trade. But, the point at which the link road crossed the railway brings one to another reality. It exposes one to a community on the railway, which bubbles with plethora of indecent and unspeakable activities. That is to the right hand side of the railway from Ijora bus-stop, through Fadaini Street.
However, for somebody who entered the railway from the under bridge situated opposite the Nigeria Breweries in the Orile-Iganmu area of the state, the first sight tells the entire story of what lies ahead. Just as one leaves the under bridge and heads towards Ijora through the railway line, an array of ladies of easy virtue immediately comes to the fore. They appear in their seductive mood, sitting and standing psychedelically in front of the make-shift wooden house of about seven rooms erected just about 30 metres away from the railway line.
The swampy side of the railway is replete with clusters of large wooden cabin suspended up to six feet on top of the brackish swamp. There are several of such accommodations housing half naked, haggard, dishevelled, fierce-looking women of all sizes, shapes and ages. In fact, one could rightly say that the cabins are brothels on the lagoon.
By 10am when Daily Sun visited the enclave, some of the women, especially the older ones, appeared worn-out with bulging, sleepy red eyes, which was an indication that they must have had a busy night the previous day. It could also be an indication that business is booming, even with the economic recession currently plaguing the country. Even as they intermittently shut their eyes and nod their heads involuntarily as they fight against sleep trying to envelope them, reliable sources revealed that they are still ready for action if a customer calls.
The old whore
Looking at the age bracket of some of the women, who are seemingly in their 50s, one wonders how they are able to withstand numerous men, who patronise them. This concern becomes heightened, considering the fact that most of their clients live on sex enhancing drugs (aphrodisiac). Not only that they look old, they also smoke and drink, as they wait patiently for their clients. They use different non-verbal cues to attract men’s attention.
One of them made a snake-like sound to attract the attention of the Daily Sun reporter. The woman was disappointed when the reporter refused to go inside but chose to take her to a corner for a chat. Her mien changed to anger but on assurance that her time would be adequately compensated in financial terms, she relaxed and the earlier smiles on her face returned. On how women as old as she are able to withstand the pressures of men, especially the younger ones and those who live on sex enhancer, she said: “Yes, it is true that the older a woman becomes, the weaker she becomes when it comes to the matter of sex. But, in this business, experience matters a lot. It is not all about energy and youthfulness. It is about tactics and skills – knowing how to press the right buttons at the right time and the deed is done. It is not something I can explain how it works for you standing here but if you think you are man enough to challenge me, we can just go in and you will see the stuff women of my generation are made off.”
Younger whores
For the younger ladies, most of whom appear tattered and unkempt, they sit in clusters with their navels on display as well as their breasts shooting out like balloons. Although, the sight of those riotous breasts would appear repulsive to any reasonable man, as stretch marks run horizontally and vertically across, the male folks in the community, who appear morally depraved and who seem no less better, find such commodity very luscious, salacious and sexually scintillating. And they savour them whenever they want. The girls wear skimpy tight skirts and shorts that expose their thighs up to their pubic region, but like the breast, such exposures are also very repugnant. This is because instead of robust and sexy thighs, which would spark a hot blood through the sexual veins of any healthy man, what is exposed are coarse, rough, stretch-marked and mosquito bite-infested thighs.
The ladies in this breast terror, navel and thigh exposure business are lined up along the railway line. Both young and old women find breasts pumping as the rave of the moment – a fashion in vogue.
From investigation, it appears that any lady who fails to expose her breasts in such a very tempting manner could be seen as a deviant. It is right to conclude that at Ijora Badia, breasts are on parade because there is a breast fair any time any day for willing viewers. While some display their wares in front of the makeshift wooden houses, others step forward at the base of the rail to display theirs and pretend to be recharge card sellers or phone call vendors.
Checks revealed that the women had ready and booming market in the male folk of the community, who are mostly gamblers, drug addicts and fraudsters.
Baby and deformed whores
A closer observation also revealed that the enclave equally parades under-age as well as physically challenged prostitutes. Most of the under-age or baby prostitutes are deviants, who run away from their homes within the Ijora Badia neighbourhood. They found solace in the life on the railway. They engage in stiff competion with the older girls. Some of them ply their trade carrying their babies.
Yet, another class of prostitutes in this environment are the physically impaired ladies, though the impairment is not that serious. They could see, hear and speak. Their hands are also intact, but they have bad legs despite the fact, it was gathered, that it does not stop them from selling sex or men patronising them.
New brothels
Apart from the class of women described above, there is another set of ladies who feel they have an edge over and above their competitors in that community. These are the ones who ply their trade in a newly constructed brothel situated about 50 metres away from the railway. There are about two of such buildings lying adjacent to each other. They parade girls of all shapes, colours and sizes, with different shapes and sizes of breasts and buttocks. They mill around in front of the brothels, wearing tell-tale signs of who they are. They appear half naked, wearing pants and skimpy shorts, with their breasts sprouting and dangling seductively and their eyes roving like that of an eagle, looking for potential prey. They also smoke cigarette and marijuana and drink alcohol, as they loiter around the frontage of the brothels, which have no name tag.
When Daily Sun visited the community the second time in the evening, about 6pm, the entire stretch of the railway, including the frontage of the two buildings, was a bedlam. The women in the makeshift wooden houses were let loose, as they no longer waited in front of their base. They stormed the railway line, scouting for customers with different non-verbal cues – winking of eyes, beckoning, making snake-like sounds to attract the attention of unknown customers and even nudging, in extreme cases. Yes, there are the daring. They boldly accost men walking along the rail to offer sex.
Commenting on such bravery, a recharge card seller told Daily Sun that competition brought about creativity and that what has happened is that because there are so many prostitutes, competing for a few men, it is only those who are prepared to go the extra mile that can survive.
He said: “I have stayed here for over five years now and I can tell you that competition is so stiff here. Their numbers increase on a daily basis and you can see that things are becoming harder in the country. But, one thing I discovered is that no matter how hard the economy is, men must always stretch their muscles.
“Like I said, their numbers keep increasing every day; so once it is evening like this; they will all leave their cubicles and come to the rail line to look for customers. And the strategy is yielding positive results because some men, who are coming here for the first time may not know how to start but when these women approach them, they would just follow them like sheep without a shepherd.”
Fighting and violence
Fighting is not a novel occurrence in Ijora Badia railway community and its neighbourhood. Checks revealed that in Lagos State, the neighbourhood had the highest number of brothels where deviant teenagers, who run away from their parents’ home find solace. The constellation of these young ladies, who have sold their souls to sex attracts criminals in the neighbourhood. They are belligerent, testy, violent and can do anything, including stripping themselves naked when angered.
Daily Sun witnessed what could have been a live adult movie when a teenage prostitute almost stripped herself. She had a fierce argument with a male folk beside one of the wooden cabins, while two other boys and another lady circled them. She walked briskly away from there to the pavement of the rail line where she sat. But, the roughneck would not let her be. He followed her to that point and the girl, in readiness for what would follow, picked a big stone. But, before she knew what was happening, the man grabbed her by the waist and raised her feet above the ground.
When she freed herself from the man’s grips, she quickly pulled her T-shirt off while her breasts flung out at once because she wasn’t wearing any bra. The breasts dangled, as she proceeded to unzip and possibly to remove her shorts before the man left the scene. It didn’t even bother her that at such a tender age, her breasts had become flabby and saggy. As soon as the man left, others prevailed on her to rescind her action, which could have resulted in naked display in broad day light.
Just a few metres away from that spot, there was another drama. This time, it involved an old whore, who seemed to be in her late 50s. She was engaged in a verbal duel with a young man, seemingly in his late 30s. The man held her by her bra and threatened to beat her up, but the woman also threatened to deal with the young man if he didn’t mind his business. The man cajoled and lampooned her that after 15 years of prostitution, she had nothing to show for it. But, she also fired back, telling the man that she would show him that she was from a particular area in the country. At that point, about three dishevelled, haggard, fierce-looking young men intervened and pleaded with the man to let go off the woman’s bra.
Further checks revealed that incidents as painted above are commonplace occurrences in the neighbourhood.
Life of alcohol, drugs, gambling
However, the male folks are seen in clustres of 15 and 20 rough, fierce-looking men, either drinking gin and smoking hard drugs or playing Ludo, Worth or Draft games. They appear so rough and fearsome that one actually must be very careful in looking at them. And because they most likely engage in one criminal activity or another, they are always at alert and they know when a stranger comes into the habitat. They are not like the women whose only trade is to exchange their bodies for money with any willing patron. Men who live among the women in makeshift wooden houses stay inside during the day except when they want to enter the town. But, the ones who live separate in their own wooden cabin wander up and down in company with teenage girls.
The other side
Ijora Badia railway community is not only about prostitution, gambling, hard drug and alcoholic consumption. There are football-viewing centres scattered along the rail line, just as there are movie houses in the place. Like most European football viewing centres in Lagos, you see notice boards announcing which teams are playing. You also see viewers, who are patiently waiting for the kick-off time but their composition also leaves much to be desired. They look every inch like the ones earlier seen gathered smoking and drinking, a confirmation that football is a unifying force. Just as normal, reasonable people enjoy it, so also do the hoodlums.
Investigation revealed that in the movie centres, x-rated films are freely shown during the day while the volumes of the loud speakers are raised so that outsiders can hear the sounds very well. Daily Sun reporter corroborated this finding when on approaching one of the movie centres, a deep shrill, humming and moaning sound filtered into the air. Every discerning ear would know that such sounds only come from a woman in sex act.
However, in the midst of all these, carpenters are still busy nailing woods together while hairdressers and barbers are equally busy twisting and creeping through their customers’ hairs. Food vendors as well as beer palour operators are not left out in the neighbourhood, as all of them scramble to make ends meet.
Also on hand to energise the men are the sex enhancement drug sellers, who line their wares along the edge of the rail line, waiting for patrons. Talking about the sex enhancer and how high or low the patronage is, one of the dealers, who simply identified himself as Ahmed said: “We come here because we know that people who need our drugs are here. It is not only sex enhancers that we sell; we also sell pain relievers like Panadol and Paracetamol. We also have drugs that give power to women and the women are also buying them. Our major competitors in this business are the people who sell local herbs. Some people prefer that but majority of them still buy our drugs. So, in all, it is a good business and we make good sales every day.”