Poly student accuses soldier of rape

esteemed gist

A student of the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State, has accused a soldier attached to the state security outfit, Operation Burst, of rape.

The 21-year-old ND 2 student of Mass Communication (name withheld) said the soldier raped her three times in a five-hour ordeal under a tree.

The victim explained to PUNCH Metro that she had seen a friend off on the night of August 29, 2014 and was returning to her apartment at the Oke Ola area, Eruwa, when she was arrested by the soldier around 10.30 pm on the allegation that she was a cult member.

The student, who narrated her ordeal at the office of her counsel, Ola Adeosun, in Ibadan on Monday amid tears, said the soldier took her to the Ibarapa Zonal Office of Operation Burst where she saw other students of the school being tortured by security agents.

She said, “I explained to him that I was returning home after seeing off my friend, but he refused to accept my explanation and pleas.

“When we got to the office, he dragged me to a shed under a tree and pulled out a double-edged knife, threatening to kill me if I did not remove all my clothes and cooperate with him. He said he wanted to see if I had cult tattoo on my body.

“He said he would kill me and bury me like others who failed to cooperate and that no one would trace my disappearance to him.

“After forcing me to remove my dress, he raped me three times until I escaped around 3am and walked a long distance back home.

“After raping me, he offered me a bottle of trophy beer. He said he would give me a blanket to cover myself because I was tired and shivering. It was when he went inside that I was able to escape.”

The counsel, Adeosun, added that while the “disgusting act was going on”, other soldiers walked by and did nothing. He added that the victim had been taken to a hospital for test.

“The act was reported at Eruwa Police Station in the morning. The victim was taken to the Operation Burst office where an identification parade was carried out and she identified the randy soldier.

“He admitted raping her and begged for forgiveness. Our client was taken to the General Hospital in Eruwa for test.The hospital said it had no gloves to carry out test, so the victim had to buy a pair not far from the hospital. Dr. Jesim Gambo, who conducted the test only used the torchlight in his telephone to examine her private parts and concluded in his report that although she did not see sperm in the vagina, there was evidence that it was tampered with.

“He also wrote that the examination was inconclusive,” Adeosun said in a statement.

The victim told our correspondent that the doctor recommended Postinor 2 as a precaution against pregnancy.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, declined comment, saying PUNCH Metro should contact Operation Burst.

The Oyo State Government, which spoke on behalf of the security unit, however, denied the incident.

The state government, in a statement by Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s Special Adviser on Media, Festus Adedayo, said the allegation was baseless.

“The government has investigated a case of rape levelled against one of its operatives and found it to be baseless.

“The outfit has, however, recommended a disciplinary measure against the officer involved for abandoning his duty post,” Adedayo said.

He said the deputy commander of the security unit, CSP Elijah Bawa, was the one that recommended the punishment for the soldier for abandoning his duty post.