A forty-three- year-old man identified as AbdulAzeez Adebayo has allegedly raped his wife’s apprentice in Ondo State.
Adebayo was accused of raping the victim (names withheld), said to be a minor, at Oda community in Akure South Local Government Area of the state, in an incident that has generated concerns within the community.
It was gathered that the 16-year-old girl had been undergoing training in fashion design under Adebayo’s wife and also assisted with domestic chores at their residence.
On the day of the incident, the victim was said to have been instructed by her boss to come over and prepare a meal at the house.
It was further confirmed that while the victim was working in the kitchen, the suspect allegedly approached her before allegedly forcing her into the room and sexually assaulting her.
Narrating her ordeal in tears, the victim said her father had dropped her off at Mrs Adebayo’s house in the morning of the incident, only for her to meet the suspect at home.
She explained that she became uncomfortable with the way her boss’s husband looked at her, noting that he repeatedly stared at her body and made her uneasy about his intentions.
According to her, the suspect later carried her into his matrimonial room and raped her despite her frantic attempts to resist.
She said: “My father dropped me at my boss’s house that day, and as soon as I entered the house, I met my boss’s husband.
“Immediately he saw me, he started admiring my body and speaking sweet words to me. He also praised my father for being a hardworking man.
“Later, while I was working in the house, he suddenly came to me and carried me to his bed while I was shouting. He tried to cover my mouth with a cloth, removed my underwear and had sexual intercourse with me.
“He also threatened to kill me with a cutlass when neighbours heard me shouting,” she narrated.
The victim’s father, identified simply as Abdullahi, who was said to be inconsolable after learning about the incident, reportedly lodged a complaint at the Oda Police Station, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Following the arrest, the case was transferred to the Gender-Based Violence Unit of the Ondo State Police Command and the suspect was subsequently arraigned before an Akure Division of the Magistrates’ Court.
Adebayo was arraigned on a one-count charge of rape.
According to the prosecutor, Augustine Omheneihen, the defendant allegedly defiled the 16-year-old victim at his residence in Oda town within the Ondo Magisterial District on May 1, 2026.
The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendant at the Olokuta Correctional Centre pending advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Defence counsel, Mr. G. Samuel, however, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable the defendant to file a counter-affidavit to the application.
Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Taiwo Lebi, adjourned the case to May 8, 2026, for the hearing of the application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in police custody.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
