Admin l Wednesday, April 13, 2022
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – A police officer, Sgt. Odunayo Ologe, on Wednesday told an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court how a man, Joshua Torile, allegedly raped a 22-year-old woman who was under intoxicated with alcohol.
Ologe, an officer attached to Maroko Police Station, while being led in evidence by the state counsel, Ms A.R. Abolade, said they survivor came to the station with his brother on Oct. 19, 2019 and reported that the defendant raped her unconsciously while she was high on alcohol.
“The survivor said that on Oct. 1 2019, one of their brother from the same village did a birthday party in which she attended and got drunk. She said she could not go back to her house on that day because of the high level of drunkenness.
“She said her brother, one Benjamin took her to the defendant’s house to pass the night because they are from the same village. She said she discovered semen on her body in the night but she could not get up because of the alcohol. In the morning, she started feeling pains in her vagina but she was afraid to ask about what happened to her.
The witness told the court that the brother of the survivor visited her a few days later at her place of work in Oniru and asked if she knew what happened to her on the day she slept at the defendant’s house.
“The survivor’s brother told her that the defendant had sex with her and that the defendant confided in him. The survivor and her brother reported the case at the station and they both wrote down their statements,” she said.
The statements of the survivor and her brother were tendered and admitted into evidence. The witness further said that the defendant was arrested on Oct. 15 2019 in his house and wrote his statement.
The defence counsel, Ms Enor Agofure, however, objected to the statement of the defendant, argued that his statement was obtained under torture. Agofure prayed the court to adjourned the case for cross-examination as it was her first time of handling case.
Justice Abiola Soladoye overruled the objection, stating that the defendant had not told the court that he was tortured. Soladoye thereby admitted the defendant’s statement into evidence.
She further cautioned the defence counsel for asking for frivolous adjournment, noting that she had announced her appearance for the case and must be ready to work. The judge adjourned the case until May 19 for cross-examination
