A man, Japhet Akawe, on Wednesday, told an Ogun State High Court how a suspected armed robber, simply identified as Moses, raped his wife (name withheld) on a farm in the Sagamu area of the state.

Akawe, who was testifying in an ongoing trial of Moses over alleged rape and armed robbery, before Justice O. S. Oloyede, added that the defendant allegedly snatched his wife’s mobile phone and a motorcycle belonging to his brother.

The witness narrated that on March 18, 2023, while he was away from home, his wife, sister and brother had gone to their farm to harvest cassava before the defendant attacked them at gunpoint.

He narrated further that his wife called him on March 18, 2023, through his sister’s mobile phone and informed him that while they were on the farm, the defendant appeared to them, snatched his wife’s mobile phone, dragged her into the bush and unlawfully had sex with her.

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

“I called my friend to take her to the clinic where she was treated. I called my wife’s phone number and the defendant picked it up and asked if I was not happy he had not kidnapped my wife before he ended the call.

“Afterwards, the defendant called me with a number and issued a warning that I should not call my wife’s number and the number he called with, or he would come for my family. I called my wife the next morning through my younger sister’s phone to go to the police station and report that a criminal had collected her phone so that if anything happened, they would hold her responsible.”

He continued that following the incident, the owner of the motorcycle that was allegedly stolen from his brother charged his brother to court and he had to pay for the cost of the motorcycle before the case was struck out.

He continued, “On Thursday, March 20, 2023, the owner of the motorcycle which the defendant forcefully collected from my brother arrested my brother and took him to court. The court granted him bail, but I was not around so he couldn’t meet the bail conditions and was taken to prison.

“When I came back, I met with the owner of the motorcycle, negotiated with him and paid him the money for the motorcycle, then the case was struck out in court.”

Akawe went further to tell the court that he reported the matter to the Sagamu Police Station and gave them the number that the defendant had allegedly called to threaten him and his family.

Akawe stressed that three months after reporting to the police, the number was tracked which led to the arrest of the defendant.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, D. O. Efuwape, the witness said he had not met the defendant before the incident.

When asked how he was able to identify that the defendant was the one who called him, Akawe said through the call the defendant made to him.

After listening to the testimony, Justice Oloyede adjourned the case to May 20, 2025, (today) for continuation of trial.

A 73-year-old man, Chief Abraham Areola, who was allegedly brutally attacked in public by the Olorile of Orile Ifo in Ogun State, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi, is seeking the protection of Nigerians and relevant authorities from the monarch.

The victim, in an interview with TheNigerian Metro on Sunday, claimed the monarch had vowed to “kill me,” following a video showing the elderly man being repeatedly assaulted and publicly humiliated on the street over an alleged chieftaincy dispute.

Although the monarch denied being the person seen humiliating the elderly man in the video during a separate interview with TheNigerian Metro on Sunday, sources within the community, the victim, and Emmanuel Ojo, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, confirmed the monarch’s identity in a post condemning the video.

The brief yet unsettling video captured one of the monarch’s aides snatching the elderly man’s cap as he knelt disoriented, while another struck him from behind, despite his polite attempts to ask what he had done wrong.

Shocked by the slap, the distraught chief lamented in Yoruba, “I’m not feeling well.” In response, the monarch coldly retorted, “Die if you want to die. We will bury you, and nobody will know.”

“I didn’t offend you, Kabiesi. I’ve done nothing wrong. I am not interested in any chieftaincy title. I will come to see you, Kabiesi,” the humiliated man pleaded, as the monarch, whose face was not visible in the video, continued to hurl insults and curses at him while he (the victim) was forced to lie flat on his chest.

“The entire Ifo land belongs to me. I will send you to prison. I own the entire Nigeria Police Force. I will send you to prison,” the monarch boasted.

Meanwhile, Ojo, who verified the identities of the monarch and the victim, condemned the disturbing act.

He said, “I came across a disturbing video online showing Chief Areola Abraham being subjected to public humiliation and physical assault. In the video, he was seen kneeling on the road while being slapped and verbally abused by someone identified as Oba Semiu Olawale Ogunjobi, the Olorile of Orile Ifo. This incident reportedly stemmed from a kingship supremacy dispute.

“The king allegedly took offence at Chief Areoola Abraham Love’s perceived support for a coronet Oba named Wasiu (as mentioned in the video). In response, he confronted the elderly man in his area and treated him in a manner unbefitting of a traditional ruler.

“Such an act is highly condemnable and completely unjustifiable, regardless of the underlying issues. There are more dignified and lawful ways to address disputes, especially among traditional leaders. Resorting to force, assault, and public humiliation is unacceptable and must be strongly denounced.”

In an interview with our correspondent, the elderly man emphasised that he still had not been told what his offence was and pleaded for Nigerians to come to his aid.

“I was the one being harassed in the video. The Oba of Olorile of Orile-Ifo is the one who assaulted me. It happened on January 21, 2025, around 11:00 AM. I wasn’t feeling well, so I went out to get some food when he saw me. He called me over, and that’s when the beating started.

“I didn’t offend him in any way. If you watch the video, you’ll hear me begging him to tell me what my offence was. I told him that if I had wronged him, he should have called for me. I still don’t know what my offence is.”

When asked about the steps he had taken after the alleged assault, he said, “I couldn’t do anything since he claimed to own the Nigeria Police Force and dared me to go to any authority I know. What could I do?

“I want Nigerians to come to my aid. He has vowed to kill me.”

However, in a phone conversation with our correspondent, the monarch denied the accusation, expressing frustration over the numerous petitions he had received from all sides regarding the incident.

“I’m not familiar with the video you’re referring to. I’ve been receiving numerous calls for the past three weeks regarding it.

“They’ve also submitted petitions to various authorities, including Alagbon, the Zone 2 Command, and the state governor. A newspaper has published a statement confirming that I am not the person in the video,” the monarch insisted.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday granted N10m bail to a woman, Olamide Thomas, who was accused of allegedly using her social media platform to make death threats against President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi and the Inspector General of Police Kayode  Egbetokun.

The court granted her the bail with one surety in like sum.

The judge, while ruling on the bail application, said there was not enough evidence to suggest to the court that the defendant would jump bail.

Nwite said, “I have carefully examined the affidavit evidence of both the defendant and the complainant. The defendant would not jump bail nor interfere with the trial, it is in the interest of justice for the court to grant the bail request.”

The judge also ordered the surety to provide an affidavit of means and a three-year tax clearance certificate and to be a resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

Justice Nwite also ordered the surety and the defendant to deposit two recent passport photographs with the court’s registrar, and the surety’s address to be verified.

The case was adjourned till February 18, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

Justice Nwite had on December 31, 2024, adjourned the case for ruling, following the defendant’s counsel, T.J . Anondo’s arguments on the bail and the prosecutor’s submission, Victor Okoye.

Thomas was arraigned on December 20, 2024, and remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre, following her pleading not guilty to three counts brought against her by the Inspector General of Police.

The defendant is facing three counts bordering on harassing and threatening Seyi, the IG and the Police Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi, in a viral social media post.

She was arrested following the viral social media post.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/636/2024, dated and filed on December 18, 2024, the police alleged that the defendant sometime in 2024, knowingly and intentionally, translated in the form of a video recording through her computer or network in her social media handle wherein she made remarks in Yoruba Language.

In the video, the police alleged that she said,” Seyi Tinubu would die this year, and misfortune and calamity have befallen the Tinubu family.”

The police also told the court that the communication placed Seyi in fear of death, violence or bodily harm.

The police alleged that the defendant intentionally transmitted the communication in the form of video recording, where she made remarks in the Yoruba Language to bully and harass the IG.

The prosecutor told the court that the communication placed the IG in fear of death, violence or bodily harm.

Thomas was further accused of intentionally transmitting or causing the transmission of communication in the form of a video recording and made remarks in Yoruba Language that Adejobi’s children would all die before his eyes.

She was also quoted to have said,” That  Adejobi would bury all his children in one day, with intent to bully and harass Adejobi.”

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 24 (2),( a) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition, prevention amended Act 2024.