By An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced 33-year-old Oluwatuyi Bidemi to 84 years in prison for robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping, and rape. The ruling was delivered by Justice Adeniyi Familoni, who found him guilty of all four charges.
Oluwatuyi was arraigned on July 21, 2021, for crimes committed against one Abiodun Agnes in Omuo-Ekiti. The offences violated multiple laws, including the Criminal Code Law, the Gender-Based Violence Prohibition Law, and the Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism Prohibition Law.
The court heard that on July 7, 2021, Oluwatuyi attacked Agnes while she was walking through a bush path. “Suddenly, somebody held my neck from behind and dragged me into the bush,” she testified. He tied her up, stuffed a cloth into her mouth, and stole her valuables, including her phone, ATM cards, and wristwatch.
Agnes recounted how she lost consciousness as Oluwatuyi strangled her. When she awoke, she realized she had been raped and that her body hair had been forcibly shaved. Trapped in the bush for hours, she was eventually rescued by passersby. Her description of the attacker led to Oluwatuyi’s arrest by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Prosecutor Oluwaseun Olasanmi presented four witnesses, along with the defendant’s statements and a medical report, to establish the case. Oluwatuyi, through his lawyer Charles Ayobioloja, pleaded for leniency but did not present any witnesses in his defense.
Justice Familoni ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. He sentenced Oluwatuyi to 21 years on each count, to run concurrently, without an option of a fine. The sentence takes effect from his date of arrest.
