A magistrates’ court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has remanded a 35-year-old man, James Emmanuel, in prison for allegedly raping his co-worker, a 55-year-old woman, Deborah Abiodun, to death on a poultry farm at about 11pm on January, 2024, in the Oke-Odu area of Akure.
The prosecutor, Inspector Anwana Josephine, told the court that the defendant, after allegedly raping Ms Abiodun to death, hit her with a stone on the forehead and dumped her corpse inside a waste pit.
He was later arrested and charged with rape and murder.
At the proceeding, the police prosecutor, Anwana Josephine, told the court that the suspect committed the offence on January 17, 2024 at about 11.00pm, an offence, contrary to Section 357 and punishable under Section 358 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.
The charge sheet read: “That you, James Emmanuel, ‘m’, on the 17th day of January 2024 at about 11.00pm at Ilere, on Ijare Road, Akure in the Akure Magisterial District, did rape Deborah Abiodun, ‘f’, aged 55 years old and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 357 and punishable under Section 358 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.
“That you, James Emmanuel, ‘m’, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did kill one Deborah Abiodun ‘F’ by hitting her with a stone on her head and dumping her corpse inside a waste pit and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 316 and punishable under Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.”
Ruling, the Chief Magistrate, F.A. Aduroja, ordered that the defendant be remanded in the correctional centre in Ondo town and adjourned the trial till March 27, 2024.
