The Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Friday, ordered the remand of the soldier, Sunday Awolola, who was alleged to have raped a student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, (AAUA) in the prison custody.

Awolola who was arraigned last Wednesday but was kept in police custody was brought before the court on a one-count charge of rape.

Awolola who was attached to the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure was alleged to have raped a female student from the Department of Religious and African Studies of the University of the institution, (AAUA) at a military checkpoint in Ikare-Akoko, the headquarters of the Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State, on July 31, 2019.

Speaking during the proceeding, the Police Prosecutor, Mr Adeoye Adesegun, told the court that the crime is contrary to Section 357 and punishable under section 358 of the Criminal Code cap 37 vol. Laws of the Ondo State of Nigeria

The Police, however, prayed the court to remand the accused in prison custody, saying the case file had been transferred to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Ondo State Ministry of Justice for legal advice.

The Counsel to the defendant, Kayode Ikotun, who file an affidavit before the court said that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case.

While addressing the court, he prayed that the accused person should be granted bail due to his health challenge, which according to him led to the redeployment of accused from Borno State to Ondo State some two months ago.

Apart from this, he said the defendant’s wife is a nursing mother who had just put to bed and nursing a two-month-old baby. (Nigerian Tribune)