Naval Officers Terrorise Lagos Community Rape Women, Beat Men, Take Over Homes

Estelle says: I heard about this but didn't believe it to be true, Because I thought the military were under strict rules which wouldn't be broken, but I thought wrong.

Saturday Punch Reports:

Residents of a section of Majidun, along the Ikorodu Road, Lagos have raised the alarm, alleging that Naval personnel have taken over their community and enforcing the law as if the community is in a state of emergency.

Residents told our correspondents that the naval personnel (stationed there to prevent the activities of oil thieves) ejected residents from a street and took over their houses.

When our correspondents visited the area last Wednesday, Chief Owoyele Street close to the creek running through the community, was barricaded with a metal bar, which our correspondents learnt was installed by the naval personnel, keeping residents away from their homes since November 2014. The street taken over by the naval personnel is estimated to have nothing less than 70 houses. Our correspondents saw an armoured tank stationed at the entrance of the street.

Meanwhile, the residents alleged that some young women – married and unmarried – have been raped by the naval personnel, who also allegedly tortured residents at will.

In order to verify the rape claim, our correspondents were taken to the home of 48-year-old Obioma Okampu, an Ebonyi State indigene. A large obituary posted on the wall showed that Okampu died on August 10, 2015.

A resident, who pleaded anonymity, told Saturday PUNCH that one of the naval personnel was raping Okampu’s wife on August 10, 2015, when the deceased was attracted by his wife’s screams.

“He saw what was happening to his wife but immediately the naval personnel saw him, they tried to catch him and he ran. As he tried to cross the BRT lane on Ikorodu Road while running away, he was hit by a coming rapid transit bus and he died on the spot,” the source said.

It was learnt that Naval authorities paid for his corpse to be taken for burial in Ebonyi State.

Okampu’s one room apartment was under lock and key when our correspondent visited the house.

Source: Saturday Punch