Squatters at Kuramo Beach on Victoria Island, Lagos State, on Tuesday, accused security agents deployed to evacuate them from the beach on Sunday night of looting their property and raping their women.
Kuramo Beach has fast gained a reputation of harbouring commercial sex workers and men of the underworld; especially late at night. However, legal trading is equally as brisk in the area as fun seekers throng to the spot especially on weekends.
Some of the squatters, most of who did not want their names published, said that a combined team of police, army, immigration and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officers, stormed the beach at about 1.00 a.m. on Sunday.
It was gathered that the raid, which lasted about three hours, resulted in the arrest of more than 100 people, including women.
“We learnt that 10 people, who wanted to evade arrest, dived into the ocean, out of which seven were saved,” said one of the routed squatters. “We have not heard anything about the missing three.”
Another squatter, who gave his name as Charles, said: “What happened here on Sunday night on this beach came to us a surprise. We were busy dancing and drinking and all of a sudden, we just heard gun shots from several directions. Many people were arrested and taken away. We do not know what has happened to them now.”
Charles alleged that some women believed to be commercial sex workers were raped by the security men while others lost valuables such as mobile phones handsets and money. “Shops on the beach were also looted in addition to the money and mobile phones people lost,’’ he said.
One of the affected businessmen, Bolu Ayoruke, said that in the 10 years he has traded at the beach, he has never “experienced such a situation’’.
Reacting, a senior police officer at Victoria Island Divisional Headquarters, who did not want his name published because he was not authorised to speak to journalists, confirmed the raid; but denied that security personnel raped any women.
“The raid was carried out by officers of the police, army, NDLEA and immigration service,” he said. “It is a continuous exercise as the place has become a hide-out for criminals.”
Culled from dailytimes