Operatives of the Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps, popularly known as So-Safe Corps, have arrested a 29-year-old man, Salaudeen Toheeb, over the alleged rape of a 22-year-old woman in Ota.
The victim, identified as Boluwatife, was reportedly declared missing by her family before she was located in the Olohunda area of Ota, where she was allegedly found in the suspect’s custody.
The State Commander of the So-Safe Corps, Commander Soji Ganzallo, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Sunday through the organisation’s Director of Information and Public Relations, ACC Adegunwa Adegbuyi.
According to the statement, the breakthrough followed information received by the Alagbon Division concerning the whereabouts of the missing woman.
The Divisional Officer in charge of the division, SC Ibrahim Badru, reportedly received the information around 4pm on Saturday that a man matching the description of the suspect had been seen moving around with a woman being searched for by her relatives.
Operatives were subsequently deployed to the location, where Toheeb was arrested and the woman was found.
During preliminary questioning, the suspect allegedly told investigators that he encountered the woman on Thursday evening while riding his motorcycle.
According to the account attributed to him, the woman told him she was distressed and did not know where to go. He allegedly offered to help her, took her to his residence and bought her food.
The suspect reportedly admitted that he later attempted to have sexual intercourse with her but claimed she initially resisted.
However, the police safety corps alleged that he subsequently forced himself on the woman in the early hours of Friday.
The situation reportedly came to light after the suspect took the woman out of the house to charge his phone. Residents who recognised her were said to have alerted her father, leading to her whereabouts being established.
Father Raises Additional Concerns
The victim’s father reportedly requested that the matter be transferred to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
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He also raised concerns about property his daughter allegedly had with her when she left home.
According to the So-Safe Corps, the father told officers that the woman had left home with five mobile phones and approximately ₦17,000 in cash, asking that the whereabouts of the items be investigated alongside the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
The suspect and the victim have since been handed over to the Owode-Yewa Divisional Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Ganzallo reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to protecting residents and urged members of the public to promptly report missing persons, suspected abuse, sexual offences and other criminal activities to security agencies.