Community Banishes 25-Year-Old Man For Raping Mother Of 6

The Osogun community of Iseyin Local Government Area Oyo State has banished a middle-aged man, Rasheed Opadijo, for allegedly raping a housewife and mother of six.
The community head, Mr Samuel Ogunbayo, who announced the decision of the community, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Osogun that the incident occurred on Feb. 25.
He said that the decision to ban Opadijo was reached after consultations with elders of the community.
According to him, Opadijo had engaged in similar acts for some time, adding that the latest incident was his fourth in the last two years.
“We are able to apprehend him because the villagers already had eyes on him. He jumped into the victim’s house through the window.
“He was aware that the husband had gone to farm and the wife, a mother six, was sleeping after her normal morning routine.
“He never knew that people were watching him when he jumped through the window and forced himself on the woman.
“He was caught red-handed forcing the innocent woman, when public-spirited people rushed to the scene and sent for the husband.
“If not for my intervention and that of elders, he would have been lynched to death.
“As it is now, we have banished him and his family from this community for 25 years,’’ he said.
Ogunbayo said that the matter was not reported to the police, adding that the nearest police station is about 20 kilometres away.
He said that the community banished Opadijo to serve as deterrent to others who might want to take advantage of helpless women and girls, and to enforce discipline in the community.
Speaking with NAN, Opadijo, who confessed to the crime, attributed his attitude to the influence of the devil.
He claimed that he did not know what came over him each time he engaged in the act.
Osogun, located about 20 kilometres from Iseyin, is the home town of Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the first man to translate the Holy Bible from English Language to Yoruba in 1843. (NAN)