An Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Akure, on Thursday, remanded a man, James Emmanuel, for allegedly raping a 55-year-old woman, Mrs Deborah Abiodun, to death.

The 35-year-old man was arrested by the state police command for allegedly killing the woman who was his co-worker at the Oke-Odu Area, of Akure on January 17, 2024.

James, after allegedly raping the woman to death, hit her head with stone and dumped her corpse inside a waste pit.

The defendant was later charged to court and arraigned on two-count bordering on murder and rape.

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.

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