Suspected armed robber raped housewife and threatens family

An Ogun State High Court has heard how a suspected armed robber, identified simply as Moses, allegedly raped a housewife on her farm in the Sagamu area of the state.

Testifying before Justice O. S. Oloyede, Japhet Akawe, the husband of the victim recounted the incident as part of the ongoing trial of Moses for alleged rape and armed robbery. He stated that the defendant not only assaulted his wife but also stole her mobile phone and a motorcycle belonging to his brother.

Akawe explained that the attack occurred on March 18, 2023, when he was away for business, and his wife had gone to harvest cassava.

He said, “On March 18, 2023, at about 3 pm, I received a phone call from my wife through my younger sister’s phone. She told me that while she, my younger brother Joseph, and his wife were on the farm, the defendant appeared, snatched her phone, dragged her into the bush, forcefully had sex with her, took her naked picture, and put pepper substance on her face.”

Akawe added that he immediately called a friend to take his wife to a clinic for treatment. When he tried calling her phone, the defendant answered. “He asked if I was not happy that he had not kidnapped my wife before ending the call,” Akawe told the court.

According to him, the defendant later called again from another number, warning, “I should not call my wife’s number or the number he used, or he would come for my family.”

In a related development, Akawe said the owner of the motorcycle allegedly stolen by the defendant had his brother arrested and taken to court. “The court granted him bail, but I was not around, so he couldn’t meet the conditions and was taken to prison,” he explained.

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Upon his return, Akawe said he negotiated with the motorcycle owner and paid for the bike, leading to the case being struck out in court.

Justice Oloyede adjourned the trial to May 20, 2025, for continuation.