Chief Anosike, who resides in Opebi area of Ikeja, Lagos, told the police that he was recently woken up from a deep sleep by strange voices in his compound. Terrified that it could be armed robbers, he alerted the police to save him before the intruders finally gain entrance.
By then, he had gathered his entire family in one of the rooms upstairs, locked the door and awaited the arrival of the police. On a second thought, he decided to peep out when the voices that he earlier heard continued ceaselessly.
It was then that he clearly heard the voice of a man pleading that he should be allowed to go and return the following day to pay the money. The second voice he heard was that of his security man, Okon threatening to deal with the man if he fails to pay the agreed sum.
Wondering what on earth could be happening, Chief Anosike said that he summoned courage and stepped out of the house. While Chief Anosike was trying to understand what Okon was arguing about, policemen in response to the distress call stormed and cordoned off the area seeking to arrest the intruder. At that point, Okon screamed that there was no thief but a misunderstanding between him and a man who rented his room for more than an hour.
Now begging for mercy, Okon who had spent the rest of the night (day of the incident) in police detention confessed that it was his desire to make extra change that got him into trouble.
“Oga, I am ready to tell you the whole truth. I know a lot of these prostitutes since most of them normally stand close to the house. It was then that some of them came to me with a business proposal. They suggested that I should rent my gatehouse to them for 30 minutes, that they will pay me N1000 per 30 minutes. Initially, I refused but when I realised that other gatemen were doing the same thing, I had no choice but to try. Normally, I screen them to be sure that they are not criminals.
“Yesterday night [day of the incident), Esther called me on phone that she has a customer. She pleaded that the man has only N500 that I should assist them. She assured me that they will not spend up to 20 minutes and I agreed. I waited for one hour and they were still busy. When they finally came out, the man told me that he had no money. He claimed that because he exceeded the agreed 30 minutes that Esther took all the money in his pocket. He refused to pay me my money that was why we were arguing. I am sorry sir, I promise not to do it again”, he stated.
The accused, a commercial tricycle rider (Keke Marwa), simply identified as Seun, pleaded that he be allowed to go home and get the money. “I am sorry, I never knew that the money I had on me will not be enough. I had N2000 with me that night. I was supposed to give that lady N1000 but because I overstayed, she collected the entire money. I gave her to avoid trouble, I was hoping that my fellow man will understand my situation and let me go. I was ready to pay double that price, if he would allow me to go home.”
Seun, who said he was married, told the police that he had no choice but to patronize prostitutes because his wife does not like sex. “It is very expensive to keep a girlfriend and I cannot marry a second wife”, he added to justify his action.
Just like the case of Okon, Saturday Sun investigations show that commercial sex hawkers and their clients now convert banks’ security posts and gatehouses of residential premises into makeshift brothels.
According to a senior police officer, who handled Okon’s case, the incident in Chief Anosike’s house was one out of several that were reported to the police.
He explained that such incidents are common mostly in houses where their owners travel frequently or live outside the state or the country. “These places are mostly patronized by people who cannot risk exposure. We have arrested supposed men of integrity, including a cleric. Unfortunately for the cleric, the prostitute discovered his identity and alerted some bad boys to come and rob him. The fracas that ensued drew the attention of policemen on patrol. The man said that he could not go to a hotel for fear of being caught.
“Several others who were caught always tell the same line of story. The greedy security men who do not care the security risk will gladly give up their accommodation for a fee. It’s very common to the extent that premises of some big companies and banks along major roads are used by prostitutes at night with the collaboration of security guards on duty there. It is risky because it’s an easy way to gain access into houses with ease. Most houses have been robbed through that process,” he said.
Worst hit by the malaise are areas like Allen Avenue, Toyin street and Opebi road, all in Ikeja, Isaac John street in Ikeja GRA, Admiralty way in Lekki phase 1 and Adeola Odeku, Ajose Adeogun, Ahmadu Bello way as well as Akin Adesola in Victoria Island. A close observation in the identified locations shows that at night, a sex hawker will move into the gatehouse of a building with a man believed to be a customer and in less than a minute, the gateman will step out and start pacing up and down.
In an instance along Isaac John street, Ikeja GRA, a gateman smartly abandoned his post and walked across the road to a roadside restaurant. The chef, who knew the trend, hailed him, and took his order. For the next 20 minutes, he sat there and ate a plate of Indomie and fried egg. While he was busy eating, another lady approached him for another negotiation. The security man told her to try the next bank opposite him. Thirty minutes later, the man stepped out and drove off in his car. The security man stood up and raced across to the bank. After about a minute, the lady came out and stood by the road again, awaiting the arrival of another customer.
According to the chef and owner of the roadside restaurant, one of the most popular spots on Isaac John is one of the banks close to a popular restaurant in the area. “The bank was closed down for a long time but they still have security men guarding the property. That is one of the most popular spots. These prostitutes normally use the place as store to change their cloths before they go and start work. Hotels around this area are very expensive that is why most men even those with exotic cars prefer to use these places”, he said pointing at the building.
Continuing, he said: “It was when the other security men discovered the people guarding that house was making so much money, they decided to join. Most of these fast food restaurants along the road can be used. They normally close by 10pm. It is not a secret as most security men do come here to use these spots. Just wait till around 12 midnight, those on patrol will branch and pick the ladies that are yet to get customers. There are so many clubs on this road and when they are drunk, anything goes.”
For about an hour that Saturday Sun’s correspondent kept vigil in the area, not less than six different men made use of about three security posts in some of the banks along Isaac John.
No comments:
Post a Comment