A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Friday ordered for the remand in prison custody, of Sunday Awolola, a soldier who allegedly raped a student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, two weeks ago.
Awolola, a soldier attached to the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Akure, was alleged to have raped the student at a military checkpoint along the Ikare Akoko-Akungba Akoko road.
The alleged rapist soldier was said to have since been dismissed from the Nigeria Army, after which he was handed over to the state Police command for prosecution.
Having been arraigned by the Ondo State Police Command on Wednesday, the 33-year-old accused ex-soldier was arraigned on one count of rape.
The prosecutor, Mr. Adeoye Adesegun, said the accused person “committed an offence contrary to Section 357 and Punishment Under Section 358 of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol. 1 Laws of the Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.”
At the court proceeding on Friday, the prosecutor told the court that the case file had been transferred to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Ondo State Ministry of Justice for legal advice.
He also prayed the court to remand the accused person in the prison custody pending the outcome of the DPP’s legal advice on the matter.
But the defence counsel, Mr. Kayode Ikotun, disagreed with the prosecutor as he asked the court to grant the accused person bail to enable him take care of his health challenge, pending the next adjournment date.
He pleaded that, sending the accused person to prison custody might aggravate his (accused) bad health condition.
However, the magistrate, Mr. Mayomi Olanipekun, granted the application of the prosecutor as he ruled that Awolola should be remanded in prison custody pending the time the legal advice of the DPP would be ready.
He adjourned the case till November 15, 2019.
