Ekiti court remands ADC candidate over alleged rape

A magistrate court in Ado Ekiti has remanded the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Ado Constituency I in the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Ayodele Babatola, over an alleged rape case.

According to the Cable, Babatola was recently arrested and detained by operatives of the Ekiti State Police Command.

In a statement, the command’s spokesperson, Abutu Sunday, said a 30-year-old woman, reported that Babatola “forcefully had carnal knowledge of her at KIIBAT Hotel, along Petim Estate, Adebayo Area, Ado-Ekiti, on the night of May 24, 2026”.

“Upon the receipt of the complaint, the suspect was invited, his statement was taken and after a preliminary investigation, the case was transferred to the State CID for a thorough investigation,” Sunday said.

The spokesperson said the complainant informed police operatives that she was assaulted and sustained injuries during the incident, claiming he became angry after the woman allegedly demanded payment before sex. He said the injuries sustained by the woman were visible to officers on duty at the time.

“During investigation, the suspect stated that he was provoked when the victim asked him for payment before having sexual intercourse with her. He claimed that he did not actually penetrate the victim before he got provoked by her request for financial compensation, but accepted that he left her in the room and deactivated all her means of reaching him.

Sunday further stated that the victim was taken to hospital for medical examination, which allegedly confirmed penetration, adding that the suspect was subsequently charged to court after investigations were concluded and has since been remanded at the Correctional Service Centre in Ado-Ekiti.

Meanwhile, some ADC members on Wednesday staged a protest in Ekiti over Babatola’s detention, describing his arrest as politically motivated.

Speaking during a press conference organised by ADC stakeholders in the state, Gboyega Aribisogan, a party chieftain, alleged that Babatola’s arrest and detention were linked to his criticism of the Ekiti State Government.

Aribisogan also accused officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Ekiti of targeting critics and opposition members through arrests and detention, alleging that the officers were using “Form K”, a remand warrant request, to imprison innocent residents in the state.

Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.