By Paschal Oparada
Stories of rape and sexual harassment have emerged from the just concluded Lagos Street Carnival and this is in the full glare of security operatives.
The Carnival took place on the December 3, and has been described as very colourful and one of the most attended.
But allegations of sexual molestation seem to have marred the otherwise big event.
Ibukun Olukoya, one of the victims, has alleged that she was almost raped during the carnival before help arrived.
According to Olukoya, she was making her way to the stage with other participants when she was cornered by some hoodlums who descended on her, tore her carnival costumes and began to sexually assault her.
Narrating her ordeal on Instagram, she said, “After performing at the carnival, we were supposed to be paid, they (organisers) started coming up with all sorts of excuses why our payments could not be made that day. There were 500 of us, most of us had no means of transportation back to our various houses. We decided to create awareness and march to the stage.
“As we approached the heavy crowd next to the stage, we all scattered across, leaving me vulnerable as a female. Then the guys started dragging for my phone, but I wouldn’t let it go then they started tearing up my clothes, my bra and the buttons and zip on my bum shots I wore under my baggy had been broken, they had untied the strings attached to the dress I wore. They started squeezing my boobs and butt. Before I knew it, they had started taking turns in penetrating through my private with their fingers so roughly. Then one of them tried inserting his penis in me. But amid all these, I was fighting back and screaming for help”.
When TheNiche contacted Olukoya, she confirmed the incident and said the policeman around did not lift a finger to help her.
“I couldn’t walk up to him of course, but I was screaming and crying begging him (the policeman) to intervene but he stood there like a statue”.
Olukoya said it was one of her fellow dancers who heard her voice and rescued her. She said she was handed over to paramedics who treated her and let her go without any form of financial help.
Speaking to TheNiche, Olukoya said they were eventually paid the next day but she was not paid fully because of the deductions the organisers made to pay for the costume she lost due to the incident.
TheNiche sought the reaction of Precious, one of the agents who interfaced with Olukoya for the carnival, but her number was switched off.
Olukoya said she complained to the Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, via his email address and the governor promised to get back to her but is yet to do so.
Ambode said the one-day carnival had fetched some people huge revenue, created job for them, ranging from the people that designed and sew the costumes to those that displayed during the carnival.
Ambode said: “I congratulate the people of Lagos State for coming out en mass to participate in this year’s carnival. We thank God for his grace; it is eight solid hours of fun and entertainment.”
