‘How I was robbed, defiled by one-chance operators’

A 33-year-old woman, Bose (surname withheld), has cried out over the influx of one-chance operators in Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb.

Bose, who said she was robbed, defiled and assaulted by the bandits on December 21, told The Nation that the criminals operated with taxi between 4:30 am and 6 am.

She implored Police Commissioner Edgal Imohimi to instruct his men to contain the ugly trend, saying another young woman had fallen victim.

Bose told The Nation that she boarded a cab at CAC bus stop in Gberigbe, Ikorodu, around 4:30 am, which was the usual time she left home for work.

She said: “When I entered the car, I discovered it was tinted such that from inside you cannot see outside, but from outside you can see inside.

“There was someone by the driver who I thought was a passenger. What I just discovered was that I was the only person at the bus stop when they picked me. Immediately I entered, they locked the doors.

“I was trying to figure out why, but I thought it was because they’ve not got to where they would pick other passengers.

“To my amazement, I discovered that immediately we got to a junction on Igbopa road (the road that leads to Abule Eko Ijede), they turned and immediately the guy sitting with the driver just turned on the music and increased the volume.

“Out of annoyance, I tried to caution him that it was too early in the morning. The next thing he did was to slap and grab me by the collar. He started asking me questions and told me that they would deal with me. That how dare I challenge them? Did I think I was smart?

“I told them they could have anything they wanted but not hurt me. They asked how much I had in my account. They took my pin, my card and wallet and searched my bag.

“I had about N5,000 in my wallet, which were N200 mint notes. They took them, they took my phones, and the four ATM cards I had in my bag, including my mum’s. They beat me up.

“I had an opportunity to escape, I opened the door and tried to escape but they caught me. They told me to take off my clothes and I asked why?

“The guy beside the driver tore my clothes and said if I didn’t cooperate, they would kill me inside the bush. It was early in the morning and people were not passing.

“I begged them, but the guy gave me a blow on my face again and he defiled me despite my pleas.

“After everything they left me there stranded. No money, no phone, nothing. I was there pacing back and forth.”

Continuing, Bose said eventually she saw a path, followed it to a road where she saw a motorcyclist, who took her home.

Asked if the criminals withdrew money through her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards since they coerced her into giving them the pins, she said she told her brother to call the banks to block the accounts when she got home.

“I was writhing in pains following the beating and sexual assault. Yes, I gave them the pins to the ATM cards. But when I got home and told my family what happened, my brother immediately called the banks and we requested that the cards be blocked because I was robbed.

“I was taken to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where my brother worked. They took me to Mirabel Centre and administered drugs to me. The incident occurred on a Thursday and I went for treatment. On Saturday, I went to Area ‘N’ Police Station to report the incident and the first question they asked me was why I was just reporting the incident?

“I wondered what kind of question was that and told them I had to go and treat myself first because my health was most important. The scars were still visible, my face was swollen and they could see it.

“I made a statement and they promised to investigate the incident. I didn’t hear anything from the police again until last week when they called to tell me that another woman had fallen victim and had filed a complaint.

“They said I didn’t include the colour and registration number of the vehicle in my statement. Yes, I remember the colour. It was a silver Nissan car. But I could only visualise two digits in the registration number. I saw 11.

“Those guys really dealt with me. Even my waist was swollen. It was a terrible experience. I am speaking out because it is fast becoming a menace. There is need for the police to stop it before it is too late.

“That was how Badoo started and because it was not stopped in time, it became something else. Now that these criminals are hunting young, working class women at Gberigbe and are succeeding; they’ll soon move to other parts of Ikorodu, unless they are stopped.”

Command’s spokesman Chike Oti said the incident would be investigated.

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