Adesoji Orenowo has been accused by a 24-year-old postgraduate student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, for ra!ng her in his house own at European Quarters, Meiran, Lagos.
The FUNAAB postgraduate student in her statement to the police, said she agreed to spend the night at Orenowo’s house because she trusted him.She said, “The reason I visited him was to know him more after we met in December 2017. He told me that he was always busy at work and if I were free during the weekend, we could hook up. He sent me N3,000 for transport fare. That was the first time he would send money to me.
“When I got to his place, I slept there because I met his uncle and the uncle’s wife with some cousins, who welcomed me. Though I was still uncomfortable and was contemplating on going back home, his uncle’s wife said I was safe.
“Around 10pm, I went to sleep in the room provided for me, which was opposite his uncle’s room. Around 2.30am, I saw Orenowo beside me; he was touching and harassing me. I suddenly stood up and went to the passage. Fortunately, his uncle came out to urinate and saw me reading the Bible with the torchlight of my phone. I went to sit in the sitting room.
“Orenowo came and suddenly dragged me from the sitting room through the passage into the room. While hitting my head on the wall, he held my neck. I called for help, but his uncle did not come out.
“He (Orenowo) almost strangled me, saying if I said anything, he would kill me and nobody would trace me. I received a lot of punches and slaps. He stripped me Unclad and threatened to tie me to the bed if I did not cooperate with him. He penetrated me through the anus and private parts.”
The victim said she reported the incident to Orenowo’s uncle and left the house for a hospital.
Orenowo, however, denied the allegation, saying he did not sleep with his guest after she turned down his advances.
He said, “While I was touching her after we had retired to bed, she told me not to touch her that she was in a fasting and prayer programme. She took the Bible on my bed and left the room.
“When she later came back from the sitting room, we started romancing each other and she insisted that she did not want to have sex and I left her to sleep.”
Orenowo was arraigned before an Ogba Magistrates’ Court on one count of sexual assault.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The magistrate, Mr P.E. Nwaka, ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison.
