A man named Soji Ezekiel, currently undergoing his one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has been apprehended by the police in Osun State on allegations of raping an undergraduate from Osun State University, Osogbo.
The identity of the female victim has been withheld for privacy reasons. The incident occurred in Soji’s room, located behind Nawarudeen Primary School, in the Oke-Baale area of Osogbo Local Government Area.
Reportedly, the female victim visited Soji’s apartment along with her friend to charge her phone due to a power outage in the area on the night of Friday, February 16, 2024. After the two ladies entered Soji’s place, the victim’s friend left the room shortly after plugging her phone in to attend to other matters.
However, upon her return, she found her friend screaming as Soji, also known as SOJ, allegedly raped her twice.
Soji, a corps member serving in Ilorin, Kwara State, but frequently visiting Osogbo during his breaks, purportedly threatened to harm the victim with a bottle if she resisted his advances.
Despite efforts by neighbors to intervene by banging on Soji’s door, he allegedly refused to let them in, exacerbating the situation.
A witness recounted that it was only after a vigilante officer arrived at Soji’s apartment with a gun and fired into the air that Soji relented and allowed the victim to leave in the early hours of Saturday, February 17. Subsequently, a team of policemen arrived at the scene and apprehended Soji.
Concerned residents notified a human rights activist, Citizen Lola Wey, who took up the case and brought it to the attention of the state government.
“The victim had been taken to the hospital for necessary medical examination and treatment. The police are already involved and they arrested the suspect. However, I heard they have granted him bail. But, we will assist the victim in getting justice because she was highly traumatized by the incident,” Wey told The Point.
When reached out to Soji via telephone to hear his perspective on the matter, he refrained from either confirming or refuting the allegations. Instead, he mentioned that the State Criminal Investigation Department had assumed control of the case, The Point Reports.
He said, “The case is already with the State CID and we are on it. I met with their lawyer (the victim’s lawyer) and we went to the hospital for a medical test and the police were there. So, now, I don’t think I have anything to say unless we are with the police. The police are doing their job.”.
