Okada rider rode himself to jail for raping 14-year-old in Ondo
An Igbara-oke Chief Magistrate Court in Ifedore local Government area of Ondo State has sentenced a 32-year-old commercial motorcyclist, popularly known as “Okada” rider to nine years imprisonment after finding him guilty of raping a 14-year-old primary school pupil.
The accused, Seun Aderemi, popularly known as “Akara” among his colleagues, was said to have committed the offence on June 27, 2015 at about 7am in his residence located at Onigemo Street, Igbara- Oke.
In a one count charge of rape presented before the court, the accused was said to have raped one Diya Marvelous in his room that fateful day, contrary to section 357 of the criminal code, cap 77, law of Ondo state, 2006.
The accused on first appearance in court on July 7, 2015, pleaded guilty to the offence.
According to the police prosecution Inspector Ezekiel, the victim had gone to the scene of the incident with the intention of calling a friend and son of the accused person so that they can go to school together to write the secondary school entrance examination before she was raped by her friend’s father (accused).
Counsel to the accused person on second appearance, B.D. Hassan, told the court that his client pleaded guilty because his plea was taken under duress, saying he had decided to change it to not guilty.
He prayed the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms promising that he will not jump bail.
But Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Susanna Olusola Olowokere overruled the counsel bail application. She said he should come with written application on next day of adjournment and the accused was reminded in Olokuta Prison in Akure, the state capital.
But Hassan did not last on the job as he received insults by those who heard about the pathetic case, calling him different names. He later apologized and withdrew his service and said he did not know all the details involved at the initial stage.
Daily Trust learnt that when the case was first presented before the court friends of the accused, all Okada riders had gone in solidarity with their friend calling journalists names for “daring to poke nose in a matter that did not concern them.”
During the trial that followed, Magistrate Olowokere ordered for the report of the medical test, it was shocking and makes concerned mothers bled.
Six witnesses were called by the prosecution. The victim who narrated her ordeal said she had gone to the house to call a fellow pupil and friend on her way to school to write the common entrance examination.
On her way out with her friend Ayobami Aderemi, the father’s friend dragged her inside his room, shut the door and raped her.
She said even her friend and the wife of the accused banged on the door calling him to open the door. She never wrote the exam as she fainted and went into coma even before the exam started.
Other witnesses also include her father, Pastor Diya Oloruntosin and a policeman who collected the witness report at Igbaraoke police division, Corporal Dayo Oyedeji.
The accused person told the court that the girl he was said to have defiled was his girlfriend and had given her #300 that day. He also said that she willingly surrendered herself on that fateful exam day.
Mrs. Aderemi said the victim was regular in their house while the son Ayobami claimed he was not around on the day in question.
In her ruling, Magistrate Olowokere said the offence was contrary to the law of the federation which said any man who had canal knowledge of a woman without her consent is regarded as a rape. She said the age of accountability is 18 years.
She noted that contrary to the accused claim that the victim was his girlfriend, she said the girl cannot give her consent to that kind of maltreatment.
She also said that based on the defendants witnesses, who gave conflicting evidences, it was obvious that they were trying to cover up.
The defence counsel, Barrister Joseph Arinju, who later took up the case appealed for leniency saying the accused person was a breadwinner of his family.
Magistrate Olowokere, however, sentenced the accused to nine years imprisonment with hard labour.
Mother of the victim, Mrs. Dino Olumoto said after the ruling that the nine years was not enough for what he did to her daughter.
She expressed appreciation to members of the public, officials from the state ministry of women affairs, journalists and law enforcement agencies who did not allow their suffering and the case of her first daughter to be killed.
Also reacting to the judgment, Mr. Oluwaniyi Ogunleye who led representatives of the state women Affairs Ministry to the court said for the court to have given nine years jail term to the accused, he was indeed guilty.
He appealed to parents to be watchful and take care of their children especially girls to prevent such happening.