Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State State on Saturday described the alleged rape of a 300-level student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) by some soldiers as “mindless” and “callous.”
Akeredolu, in a statement issued by Donald Ojogo, the Commissioner for Information on Saturday, made available to NEXT EDITION in Lagos, called for the immediate prosecution of the soldiers who allegedly committed the crime.
While commending Brig. Gen. Abubakar Zakari, Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, for his swift reaction to the issue, Akeredolu maintained that his administration would not condone such act, particularly from those who should be upholding the law.
The statement read: “The governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (SAN) has urged the authorities of the Nigerian Army to immediately hand over to the Police for urgent prosecution, the soldiers arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a university student at the Akungba-Ikare military checkpoint.
“Mr. Governor particularly finds the alleged offence callous, mindless and heart aching that it was said to have been committed by soldiers whose presence ought to be a succour to the people, especially the vulnerable, in the face of the heightening wave of violence and insecurity in the country.
“It should be noted that the government of Ondo State under Arakunrin Akeredolu (SAN) shall do all within its powers to fight this bizarre menace of rape in the state. Rapists or those who wish to traverse this ignobly desecrating path will find Ondo State too hot as a refuge for such nefarious act. Government shall be firm and decisive.
“The governor describes as heart-warming, the arrest of the alleged perpetrators of this case involving the soldiers at the Akungba-Ikare checkpoint. This is even as he salutes the swiftness of the Brigade Commander, who ensured the seamless apprehension of those allegedly involved.
“Reassuring as this effort appears, Governor Akeredolu is unequivocal and unwavering in his insistence that the suspects be handed over to the Nigeria Police for immediate prosecution. The full weight of the law must be tested in this particular case to serve as a deterrent to others who seek to undesirably, take advantage of the unprotected,” the statement read.
It would be recalled that on Wednesday last week, a 300-level female student of AAUA was allegedly gang-raped by some soldiers stationed at a checkpoint in Ikare-Akoko, headquarters of the Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State, in the evening.
According to reports, the student from the Department of Religious and African Studies of the University, was allegedly ordered by one of the soldiers identified as a Lance Corporal (name withheld) to get down from a commercial mini-bus she was on with her friends before being dragged into one of the rooms built for the soldiers at the checkpoint.
The incident happened few kilometers from the victim’s tertiary institution (AAUA) when she was on her way from the campus to Ikare-Akoko.
