A 32-year-old Beninese fashion designer, Jacob Joseph, has been arrested by operatives of the Ondo State command for allegedly defiling his 16-year-old apprentice after purportedly forcing her to consume alcoholic drinks at his shop in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Joseph, a father of four, was accused of allegedly committing the crime on April 22, 2026, at his shop located within the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Shopping Complex, with the Mother and Child Hospital axis.

According to the victim, the father of four had instructed her to be available for night duty, which she obliged, a development that she disclosed later led to her boss forcefully defiling her.

She further narrated that she woke up to discover that she was alone in the shop and bleeding from her private part, after the suspect allegedly took advantage of her condition, overpowered her, and sexually assaulted her.

He said: “On the fateful day, we were at the shop when my boss called me into the showroom. He brought out an alcoholic wine and a glass cup and asked me to drink it. I refused because I was not used to taking such drinks, but he forced me to take it. Immediately after drinking it, I informed my fellow apprentices because I began to feel discomfort in my body.

“Later, he told me that he had informed my colleagues that we were all to return to the shop by 10:00 p.m. for compulsory night duty. I told my mother about it, and she said it would be better for me to go earlier so I would not have to trek alone at night. I left home around 8:00 p.m., and he had already called my mother to ask her to release me.”

“When I got to the shop, I did not see any of my colleagues. I only saw him, and he gave me the key to the shop. I opened it and stayed there alone, thinking I had arrived too early. About ten minutes later, he entered the shop. We started watching a film on his phone while he said we should wait for the others.

“He later brought out another alcoholic drink from his fridge and forced me to take it, claiming it would keep me awake until the next morning. I took only a little of it, but I immediately became unconscious.

“I do not know how I ended up drinking a larger quantity. I was totally weak and barely conscious. I could hardly hear what he was saying, and he kept giving me more until I vomited. I then noticed that he was touching me.

“When I woke up the next day in his house, I found myself in his house with the knowledge that he had sexually abused me, and I found blood in my pants.”

With the family of the victim stressing that the development had left her with emotional trauma and physical injuries, her parents reported the incident at the Oke-Aro Police Division, which subsequently led to the arrest of the suspect.

Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Abayomi Jimoh, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect, stated that the father of the victim had lodged a complaint that her daughter was sexually assaulted by her employer.

He said upon receiving the complaint, the victim was immediately taken to the police clinic for medical examination and treatment, while operatives swiftly arrested the suspect.