Published 5th Aug, 2022

By Adebola Adewara

An Abuja-based young lady has accused Kenji Steve, a businessman in the city, of luring her into a hotel room and sexually assaulting her on Sunday, July 31.

The young lady, who asked not to be named, told FIJ that she met Steve for the first time in her father’s cybercafe on July 26.

“I met him at the cybercafe when he came to print a document from his phone. He uses an iPhone so he couldn’t connect to our computer system. I had to tell him to send it to my phone through WhatsApp so I could print his work for him,” she said.

“Then he started chatting me up that he wanted to know me more and started calling me. He was a very persistent person.

“He kept on calling and calling me despite me telling him that I didn’t want to know him or get involved with him.

Conversations between Steve and the lady

“The disturbance got to me too much and I agreed to see him on a Sunday. I got a call from him around past 2 in the afternoon and we agreed to meet at the flyover bridge around Magnolia Barracks.

“I met him there and we went to a park close by in his car where we talked. At a point he suggested we go somewhere to relax so we could talk and get to know each other more. I agreed because it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“He started driving but this time he started taking some detours. On the way, I saw a signboard reading ‘Sunrise Estate’. From there, he started going down the road. I started getting antsy because I’d never been to that place. I kept asking him where we were going to?

“Steve told me it was just a joint for us to sit and talk. This was around past 3 pm. I kept on asking, but he kept on driving straight. We passed this big yard that had abandoned shops and some heavy vehicles that were not moving again.

“When we finally got there, I realised it was a hotel. He begged me that he just wanted a private place for our conversation. He kept trying to convince me that he meant no harm.

“When we entered, I turned on the recorder on my phone because one can never be too safe. He offered me drinks but I rejected it.

“After we talked a bit, I checked my phone and it was 4:30 pm, so I told him I wanted to leave because I was supposed to be at home before 6:00 pm.

“He tried to convince me to wait a bit and confessed his romantic feelings for me but I bluntly told him I wasn’t interested.

“I demanded to go home and even pleaded with him that I could go home by myself and didn’t need him to take me home.”

The young lady said Steve began to assault her afterwards.

“He became more forceful and started touching my hands and all. When I made a move to get my bag, he pounced on me and started strangling me,” she said.

“I shouted. I kept shouting for like one minute and struggling. It became intense and I started finding it hard to breathe.

“He started asking if I thought anyone would hear me, that it was a hotel room and no one would come for me, and that I’d better shut up or he would get really angry and I didn’t want to see him angry.

“At that moment, I realised that I had to keep quiet because he could easily kill me. I kept thinking that he could kill me and dump me in the bush behind the guest house.

“He could kill me, bury my body there and no one would know. I was so scared because I didn’t tell anyone I was going out with him.

“I had no choice again because he refused to let me go. We stayed for like two hours in that room. He did all sorts of things to me. I had no choice. I had to just stay alive. I didn’t want to die.

“After he finished whatever he wanted to do, we left the guesthouse. He then drove me back to the flyover bridge where we first met. Immediately I got out of the car, he drove off.

“I’ve not heard from him ever since.”

FIJ made several calls to Kenji Steve but they were not answered. A text message sent to him had also not been responded to at press time.

FIJ had reported how a Nasarawa State-based student of Ecoces University, Cotonou, Benin Republic, accused Steve of luring her into a hotel room and raping her on April 15.

The student, who asked not to be named, told FIJ that she had agreed to meet Steve at an open place after two years of being friends on Facebook.

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