Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Three US Marines have been charged with sexual assault in a case involving a Tulane University student and her friend in New Orleans, according to court documents from the Parish of Orleans in Louisiana.
Lance Corporal Alexander Davenport, 20, was charged with two counts of first-degree rape; Lance Corporal Jared Anderson, 18, was charged with one count of first-degree rape; and Private First Class Antonio Landrum, 18, was charged with one count of third-degree rape.
According to police affidavits, the two women told police they went to a New Orleans bar on April 14, became intoxicated and left the bar April 15 with a man later identified as Landrum. Based on surveillance footage from the bar, investigators said one victim appeared "moderately intoxicated/impaired" and the second woman looked to be "highly intoxicated/impaired."
The three went to the residence of one of the women, police said. It's unclear exactly what happened at the residence, based on police documents and a university statement. Tulane issued a statement saying the women met two individuals not one man at an uptown establishment and later went to the student's residence. A short time later a group of males "arrived and engaged in unwanted acts with the student and her guest.
The subjects departed some time later," the Tulane statement said. In the police affidavit for the Landrum arrest warrant, the woman who lived at the residence said Landrum forced himself on her and her friend. But the affidavits for Davenport and Anderson say "Male one (Landrum) engaged in sexual acts with both victims, which was (sic) allegedly consensual." The woman said Landrum also invited some friends to her residence.
According to police affidavits, the woman said she later had consensual sex with one of those men and non-consensual sex with one of them. The second woman said she, her friend and Landrum had consensual sex but she began to black out, documents said. She said she vaguely remembered men coming into the bedroom and forcibly having sex with her, the documents said. Landrum and Anderson told police they had sex with both women, documents said. Davenport didn't make a statement to officers. Landrum said he "called his friends to pick him up from the location, yet they entered the residence," the document said.
Davenport is being held on $100,000 bond, Anderson on $50,000 bond and Landrum on $25,000 bond, according to a court docket.
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