What did I do?
I bit off my boyfriend’s manhood.
Why?
He was going to rape me. I was afraid. I begged him to stop tearing my clothes, he punched me on my breast, you know how painful that is?
It doesn’t mean because he is my boyfriend he should rape me, that is what I have been trying to explain to them at the police station but they are calling me a killer. I did not plan for it to be like this, I was fighting for my life when it happened.
Let me start from the beginning, you see, Frank and I have dated for six months and in that six months, we have ‘met’ several times but that day, I was just not in the mood for it and I told him. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t but he is a very hot tempered person. He only likes me when I agree to do what he wants to do, the moment I say, no, I want to do something else, he will lose his temper and be abusing me, calling me names and be really, really angry.
As you are seeing me so, I finished school more than three years ago and I made all my papers but because I had no one to sponsor my education, I came to Lagos to live with my mother’s cousin and hustle so I can send money home to my mother.
My real interest is in catering, cooking. I was hoping to perfect my cooking skills because a friend of mine told me eateries pay good money for good cooks and since I love to cook, I used to go around to all these fast food joints to ask if they need new cooks.
One day, I went to one restaurant and they tested me for two days and liked my cooking, they asked me to go and write a letter of application and bring my CV.
I have never written a CV before, so I asked my boyfriend, Frank to help me write one; he agreed.
Another thing about Frank is that, he likes it when I always ask him for things but I like to be independent, I don’t want to always rely on him for things I need, so that if he gets angry, I can just walk away.
I didn’t know Frank had other plans.
Yes, other plans because after he promised to help me, that day, he asked me to come and meet him at his friend’s place. There were three of them there plus Frank. They said I should follow them to a club.
I said no, I went there for CV, why is he asking me to go to club? I wanted to go back home. But he said I shouldn’t worry, that he would help me with the cv but I should be patient. I needed to submit the CV and letter the following day, so I had no choice but to wait.
After we left his friend’s place, we went to his place, he lives in a one room. When we got there, he said before he helps me with the Cv he would just one to do one round!
Ha!
I was angry and I told him that I was doing my period and that the cramps were really making me feel so much pain, I couldn’t even stand anyone touching me. But he locked the door and removed his shirt and trouser; remaining his boxers and he started pulling my skirt saying he wanted to check if I was telling the truth!
I asked him, ‘what is the matter with you, Frank? You don’t believe me? I am doing my period and I don’t want sex, please leave me alone.’
He did not even listen to me, he just used one hand to pin me on the bed and was dragging at my pant, as I was trying to struggle to free myself, he hit me on the face and used his knee to press down on my breast to the bed. I wanted to die from the pain, I was crying, begging him to stop, telling him that my breast was hurting but he didn’t even stop.
The next thing I knew, as soon as he removed one leg from his boxers, I managed to move a little and grabbed his manhood and I pulled it with all my power. If he was going to kill me, I too will do him damage.
He screamed and began to curse me but he was stronger than me, he managed to free himself and began to kick me in the stomach; even at this time, he was pulling my blouse, pulling my skirt and I was almost naked and my body was just on fire from pain, my mind was just telling me, so this is how this boy will rape me kill me here?
So I managed to get up and grabbed his manhood again and pushed him to the ground; this is rape, I have heard so many bad stories about rape, so I fought him back.
As we both fell to the floor, I brought my mouth to his thing and I just bit him hard, I didn’t even know there would be blood!
Then he just fainted. Immediately I was this, I quickly poured water on him to revive him, then I opened the door and assisted him to the clinic down the street so that the doctor can treat him because I saw that the bite was deep on his manhood.
But the doctor said he would not treat him unless I call his relatives or the police. How many of his relatives do I know? Only his brother, when I called that one, he refused to come, so I had to go myself to report myself to the police, so that they could just treat him.
That’s how I came to be arrested. That’s why I am here.
(series written and edited by Peju Akande and based on true stories)