Kuramo Beach, to its
residents, is escapism of
some sorts. Besides its
regular occupants,
prostitutes and drug
peddlers see the place as
haven for their
operations. It was like an
island on its own.
For those who wanted to
'feel high' on illicit drug,
Kuramo also gave them
that illusion of being on
top of their world.
Kuramo offered unending
music, blaring from
speakers of numerous
drinking joints that lined
the ocean front.
But the music stopped
early hours of Saturday,
August 18, around 3:00am,
when ocean surge,
entombed a large section
of the shanties and
cabins. It was not only
the shanties and cabins
that fell casualties, about
16 persons were also
swept away by the
ocean rage.
By Sunday, the picture
became clearer, as
government agents moved
in, and demolished the
remaining shanties. As a
result, the residents have
scattered. But some of
them still wished it were
a bad dream that would
soon go away. They were
seen on Wednesday still
hanging around the
Kuramo Beach extension.
Some of them lived there
for over 10 years, and for
those in this category, it
is difficult, having another
place to call a home. One
of them, who pleaded
anonymity, said Kuramo
though offered them a
shelter; it also played
host to a lot other
negative indulgences.
According to him, over 50
per cent of the
inhabitants were
prostitutes and they
were the main attraction,
given the number of men
who trooped in, mostly at
night.
He said, "The prostitutes
are the main attraction in
Kuramo village. They were
there in all shapes and
sizes. From 8:00pm, men
would start arriving. Some
after gulping some bottles
of alcoholic drink, would
face the commercial sex
workers.
"Besides prostitution,
drug also came handy
here. Whatever it was
you wanted. Is it
marijuana or crack
(cocaine)? They were
available. A pinch sold for
N250, a wrapper of
marijuana is N50. Again,
there was another form
of marijuana, which a
wrap sold for N200. That
one was the
concentrated type.
"And for those who
wanted to enhance their
sexual performance,
there were those who
sold the local aphrodisiac
called Bura ntasi."
This source who spoke
fluent English, said the
prostitutes who lived
inside the cabins, where
they paid between N800 -
N1000 daily, depending on
the size of the room,
were however, conscious
of being infected with
HIV/AIDS, as they insisted
their clients must put on
condoms. But he
however, added that they
had perfected some
tricks, in which they
swindled some
unsuspecting clients.
The source said,"These
prostitutes had agents,
and the agents normally
lurked around. As soon as
any man entered the
room with any of them,
he would be asked to
hang his trousers by the
window. As soon as the
client got carried away
by the sexual ecstasy,
the agent stealthily
picked the trousers from
outside, and emptied the
money and valuables
therein.
"Many patrons of
prostitutes here had lost
their valuables in that
manner". According to
him, the prostitutes
charged between N500 -
N1000, and all depending
on negotiation skills of the
client.
"Kuramo ran on 24 hours
basis, it hadly went to
sleep."
One of the former
inhabitants, Mr. Samuel
Adebayo could not be
bothered about sex
hawkers and their antics.
His concern was where
he would start his
tailoring business again.
Having lived in Kuramo for
over 10 years, and being
thrown out under three
hours, had left him
puzzled for now. He was
among those seen at the
Bar Beach sea front,
about 100 metres from
Kuramo, on Wednesday.
He denounced the claim of
the Ministry of
Waterfront
Infrastructure that they
were given four days
notice.
"I had lived in Kuramo
Beach for over 10 years,
it was not true that
there was any notice. It
was on Sunday (August
19) morning that the DPO
of Bar Beach police
station led his men to this
place and told everyone
to come out.
"We were given only two
hours to pack our
belongings. How many
things could one pack in
two hours? So, some of
us only took a fraction of
what we have, before
the caterpillar moved in,"
he said.
He recollected that there
were about 110 cabins,
and they paid for
everything there. "There
was no water, no toilets
and no bathrooms. We
bought water at the rate
of N50 per bucket. To
bath, one would pay N100,
and to use the toilet, it
attracted N100."
On his own part, Mr. Laja
Obasi, who said he was a
security man at Kuramo,
also said he lived there
for almost 11 years, and
he was almost regretting
it.
Obasi who explained that
he earned N3,000 per
week, stressed that his
fear was how to get
another job.
Himself and his colleagues
were for now, living at
the mercy of friends and
passers-by. He moaned,
"I'm still fit to work as
security man, but who
can employ me?" He
suffers a limp in one of
his legs."
Another former resident,
who simply preferred to
be addressed as Prince,
said he was a tourism
promoter at the beach
front, and all that had
gone with the wind.
Dressed in a jeans
trousers and ash-
coloured sweater, he said
he was in the business of
making those who visited
the beach comfortable,
providing them good
drinks and accommodation.
As at Wednesday, Prince
was still in a quandary
about the way forward. "I
really want to retrace my
steps by going back to
God in a seven-day
prayer and fasting," he
began. "After that, I will
now decide what next to
do. I have two options -
either to raise money for
my young wife to start
business, because I had
been the one shouldering
the family's burden or buy
a car which I will be using
to do kabukabu."
The commissioner for
Waterfront
Infrastructure, Mr.
Olusegun Oniru, who
visited the site on Monday
reiterated that a four-
day warning was given to
traders and residents. He
said, "It is not that we
waited for this disaster
to happen before we
started acting. We gave
them a four-day warning
of the looming ocean
surge and high waves but
they wouldn't listen. It is
rather unfortunate that
they waited for nature to
force them out."
Oniru added that the
state government was
faced with an Herculean
task, because some of
the residents, had no
place to go. Some have
constructed some
shanties, directly in
waterfront at the Bar
Beach, and inside and
outside where they kept
their wares and personal
effects.
Besides, some traders
who were equally
dislodged displayed their
wares inside their buses
and cars.
While most of the
residents and traders
ruled out compensation of
any kind, some of them
were still bogged down
by uncertainty of their
future.