The young lady isn't denying that she committed the crime; she's saying, however, that she killed the man in self defence.
The 21-year-old lady, Kofoworola, said when she boarded a Honda car at Borno Crescent, Apapa, Lagos, at about 3.30 am that fateful night, she was very grateful to the driver. The driver, she said, reportedly assured her he would not collect any money since he wasn't driving a commercial vehicle.
Kofoworola, (other names are being withheld by us) said she never knew that danger was lurking around the corner until the driver, identified as Patrick, refused to stop at her destination - Monalido Night Club, Apapa. Kofoworola said when she protested, the driver brought out a knife and threatened to kill her if she failed to do his bidding. Ironically, it was Kofoworola that ended up killing the man with that same knife. How did it happen?
"He threatened to kill me with the knife if I refused to perform oral sex on him," she said. "He said I should use my mouth to stimulate his manhood. I told him I could not do it. I had never done such a thing before. I begged him and even told him that such act irritates me and would make me vomit. All my pleading fell on deaf ears. I later told him to allow me ease myself. I told him I was not going to run because my bag was on the back seat. He stopped the vehicle, but as I wanted to come down, he sped off again.
He held my neck with one hand as he drove and was pressing my throat with it while he controlled the steering with the other hand. He then pulled over at a dark spot along Hyndra Road, Apapa. He pulled down his trousers and commanded me to do what he wanted me to do. I still refused. He stabbed me in my foot to show how serious he was. I screamed and begged him to leave me alone.
He pressed my face to his lap and ordered me to do what he wanted me to do. I did not obey him. As he was pressing my neck, the knife fell off from his hands. I quickly grabbed it. When he saw that I had collected the knife, he attempted to collect it from me by force. He bit me in the hand. So I first stabbed him on the thigh and later stabbed him in the chest several times.
"I didn't mean to kill him. I was only trying to defend myself since he had vowed to kill me. I made a mistake. Maybe instead of killing him I should have allowed him to kill me. That would have been better. I would not have been in this problem now."
She also explained how she became a prostitute. Her words: "I am a Lagosian. I come from Lagos Island. I live at Casco Street, Old Ojo Road, Mazamaza with my mother. I am also a mother, as I have a three-year-old daughter. My father never cared about me and that was why I am into prostitution. My father is not interested whether we survive or not. My mother is just a petty trader. There is little she can do financially. I needed to do something so that I could be able to take care of my child and myself. Now that I am in trouble, who will take care of my baby? I have to do something to take care of my baby. I love my baby. I love her so much.
"What am I going to do now? Who will help me out of this problem? They said they will charge the case to court. I have not entered any court since I was born. Now I am going there because of murder. God, I should have allowed him to kill me. If I had died, at least I will rest from all these worldly problems. I don't have a helper. See what poverty has dragged me into. If not for poverty, I should be sleeping in my house instead of going to the club. But I do it on part time basis. I am not a full time prostitute."
The lady said the man who impregnated her abandoned her and the baby, saying she even dragged him to the police station over the matter.
"I tried to make Collins understand that he is the owner of the baby but he denied it. The police tried to settle the matter. But you know you can take a horse to the stream, you cannot force it to drink water. My family were also disappointed in him. Up till now he never cares about his baby. He is not interested in her. For three years now, I have been the one rearing the baby alone. All these problems made me look for money by all means. I had to drop my pride and take my destiny in my hands."
According to her, she is regretting ever venturing into prostitution. She urges women to avoid it as much as possible. "Prostitution is not a job," she said. "It is immoral. It can put you in trouble at any time. Please learn from my own experience. I became pregnant during my final year in secondary school. After I delivered, I later went back to write my WAEC examinations. Unfortunately, I failed English language."
An investigation by this reporter in many night clubs in Apapa revealed that the dead man might have violated several prostitutes in the area before he was finally killed.
At Wazobia Night Club, a lady called Ngozi spoke of her experience in the hands of the dead man. Her words: "One day at about 2 am., I was leaving the residence of one of my 'customers'. He is a white man. He lives at Calcutta Crescent, Apapa. I was waiting for either a commercial motorcycle or a taxi that would convey me to a hotel on Azare Street, Apapa, where another customer was waiting for me. I saw this car and it stopped in front of me. Only the driver was inside. He beckoned on me to come inside and I did.
He asked where I was going and I told him. He said he was going towards that direction and that he would drop me at no cost. But instead to move towards the direction I was going, the man brought out a knife and threatened to stab me to death if I failed to cooperate. He pulled over at a dark spot along Hyndra Road, Apapa. He pulled his trouser down and ordered me to perform oral sex on him. I was afraid. Tears rolled down my eyes as I begged him that I could not do it. I begged him to have normal sex with me instead.
But he refused and threatened to kill me. He claimed to be an ex-soldier. Since I didn't want to die, I had to do what he wanted. Later he held my bag and said he would do me a favour. He told me to go down, open his boot and bring his bag. Immediately I got down, the man sped off. My two handsets were inside the bag."
The police said the lady would soon be charged to court.
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