For Busayomi Adeogun, Tuesday, June 14, is unforgettable day. It was a day she left her Fadeyi home beaming with smiles and confident of signing a modelling contract.
But no sooner had she boarded a commercial bus at Fadeyi bus stop which had eight other ‘passengers’ in it, did her smiles turn to tears.
“Immediately I entered the bus from Fadeyi going to Oshodi, the guy on my left side started complaining that the passenger at the back was trying to pick his pocket. The next thing, he changed position and sat on my right side saying Onipanu owa o.
“Immediately, the one at the back hooked my neck and said ‘don’t shout’. The one beside the driver said ‘allow her to lie down on the floor’. They dragged me flat on the floor of the bus, collected my bag and started asking me questions.
“Where do you work? I said I am a student. Which school? What course? What level? My name and state? I kept answering the questions as he searched my bag and collected all the money inside.
“He collected my ATM and asked for my pin and I told him. He handed it to one of them and they dropped him. I was crying and begging them to not kill nor ‘use’ me. So many things were going through my mind.
“I remembered my mum and siblings as well as a story that happened 27 years ago that cannot be forgotten in my family. I kept begging them to spare me but the man in front said it depends on the amount of money they find in my account.
“He said if they find huge amount, they won’t hurt me but if I gave them a wrong pin or there’s no money in my account, they will contact my family or rape me till I breathe my last. They were eight men. I started praying silently and asking God for mercy. One was already touching my breast. Another hooked my neck down and a third person used his legs to pin mine,” she narrated.
Continuing, Adeogun said they put pepper on her eyes and tried to unzip her jeans trousers to probably rape her or apply pepper there too.
According to her, the man who was dropped after he was given her ATM card called and the one who sat in front passed something to the ones behind and she was ordered to close her eyes.
“I didn’t close my eyes. I told myself that if I am going to die, let me die but I must see what they want to do. Next thing, he put pepper in my eyes, on my breast and was trying to unzip my trouser but couldn’t. I was screaming that I can’t see and was protecting my eyes from further pepper. I was also trying to hold my jeans so that they don’t pull it down to put pepper in my vagina or rape me, after all they have already collected and done.
“They collected my phones, power bank, my sister’s money in my bag and the change I had there. They packed everything and threw me off at Coker, towards Oshodi and left. I am still not myself till now.
“I have never been handled like that in my life. June 14, my terrible day. I just want to close my eyes and forget everything but I can’t. It keeps playing on my head and is hurting me more,” Adeogun wrote on her Facebook wall.
Efforts to reach the police command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP) for comment on the issue failed as at press time.
