Two commercial motorcyclists, Tope Ademeso and Igbekele Akinsioye, have been arraigned before an Akure Magistrates’ Court by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, better known as the Amotekun Corps, over the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl.

The incident reportedly occurred on August 6, 2025, around 10 p.m. at the defendants’ residence on Continental Street, Akure.

According to the prosecuting counsel, O.F. Akeredolu, the two men conspired to unlawfully have sexual intercourse with the teenage girl. The charges brought against them include conspiracy and rape, offences punishable under the Ondo State Criminal Code and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021.

Because of the seriousness of the case, the court did not take the defendants’ pleas. The prosecution asked the court to remand them in a correctional facility while awaiting legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

However, defence counsel Godwin Bernard argued that the incident was not rape but a dispute over payment after what he claimed was “consensual intercourse.” He urged the court to grant bail under lenient conditions.

Magistrate Damilola Sekoni adjourned the case to September 1 for ruling on the bail application and ordered that the defendants be remanded at Olokuta Correctional Facility in the meantime.

The case has drawn public attention, highlighting once again the growing concerns about sexual violence and the importance of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law in protecting victims.