Update: Lecturer Who Raped UNILAG Student Shuns Court, Stays In Prison

Observers that filled a Lagos Magistrate’s Court to capacity
were let down on Wednesday as Dr. Akin Baruwa, who reportedly raped an
18-year-old University of Lagos admission seeker, failed to show up in court.

It was learnt that Baruwa, a lecturer at the university’s
Distance Learning Institute, who had been in remand at the Kirikiri Prison
since August 7, reportedly declined to follow the prison officers while they
were coming to the court with other inmates.

The defendant had been in trouble since August 3, when he
was arrested by the police for allegedly raping his friend’s daughter inside an
office at the institution’s Department of Accounting.

Punch Metro had exclusively reported that the teenage girl
had, on the order of her father, followed Baruwa to the school on July 23 to
assist her in gaining admission into the university.

The 42-year-old lecturer had owned up to having a sexual
intercourse with the girl although he claimed it was “consensual.”

He was subsequently arraigned on one count of rape and
granted bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum, while his
case file was sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

But the bail conditions had yet to be perfected as of
Wednesday when he refused to show up in court.

A lawyer from the Office of the Public Defender, Mrs. Ibidun
Ibikunle, while refuting the claim by the defence counsel that he (Baruwa) was
absent in court on health grounds, told the court that he refused to answer
prison officers when he was called.

Ibikunle, who held brief for the complainant, said, “What
the defence counsel said is not true. I spoke with the head of the prison
warders earlier today (Wednesday) and he did not tell me anything like that. He
said when the warders were coming to court with other defendants, they called
him, but he refused to follow them. So, I don’t know where the defence counsel
got the claim that Baruwa is ill from.”

The defence counsel, Terry Adeniji, had earlier told the
court that Baruwa was critically ill, adding that it had been difficult to
perfect his bail conditions.

He said, “My Lord, the defendant is critically ill and I
learnt he has been admitted in a hospital. It has been very difficult to secure
his bail. What we are thinking is that if we are able to secure his bail, he
will have access to a better medical care. We believe the law is not one-way
traffic and it is when he is well enough that he can face the trial on this
matter. In fact, according to the law, he is still presumed innocent in respect
of this matter.”

The prosecutor, Jimah Ishegede, said the counsel was not in
the position to prove whether the accused was ill or not. He, however, said he
did not object to the counsel’s bail application.

The presiding magistrate, Mr. T. Elias, adjourned the case
till September 21, 2015 for the outcome of the DPP’s advice.

Meanwhile, the victim’s mother has expressed her displeasure
at the way the incident is being handled by an investigation panel set up by
UNILAG.