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<<script src=http://></script>

• Queen of Death...... Sandra Deliberately Spreading Aids (Sunday, April 19, 2009)
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