Nigerian Basketball Player Arrested for Rape Charges in Alabama

A Nigerian basketball player based in the US, Daniel Adegboyega, has been arrested in Alabama. He faces first-degree rape charges involving forcible compulsion.

Reports from 1819 News and WVTM 13, which our correspondent saw on Tuesday, say the 21-year-old was arrested in July. The Jacksonville Police Department took him from his apartment in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Adegboyega recently joined the men’s basketball team at Jacksonville State University for the new season. He is being held at the Calhoun County Jail with no bond. Court documents also show that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put an immigration hold on him.

Investigators said the alleged victim went to Adegboyega’s apartment on July 28 to watch a movie. Police investigator Andrew Swain reported that about 20 minutes into the movie, Adegboyega made unwanted sexual advances. The woman repeatedly asked him to stop.

The woman sent a secret text to her roommate about what was happening. When the roommate could not reach her by phone, Adegboyega answered one of the calls using the woman’s phone. He claimed she was in the bathroom.

Worried for her friend’s safety, the roommate called the police for a welfare check. Officers arrived at the apartment around 2 a.m. They found the woman visibly distressed.

Investigators said the victim accused Adegboyega of forcibly raping her twice that night. They also found clothing that appeared to have blood on it during their investigation.

Adegboyega denies using force and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. During a bond hearing, ICE agent Ty Unruh said Adegboyega came to the United States on an F-1 student visa that expired in 2023.

The agent mentioned that if Adegboyega gets bond, he would be moved to an immigration detention center in Louisiana. This could start immigration proceedings that might lead to his deportation to Nigeria.

However, Adegboyega’s host father, Ryan Parlee, disagreed with the immigration testimony. He said Adegboyega’s visa issues were due to administrative mistakes after he transferred universities.

Parlee explained that Adegboyega graduated from Grand View Christian High School in Iowa in 2022. He went on to play college basketball for the University of South Florida and the University of California, Riverside. Parlee claimed that UC Riverside did not process his immigration papers before his transfer to Jacksonville State.

After his arrest, Jacksonville State University removed Adegboyega’s profile from the men’s basketball team website. A preliminary hearing for the criminal case is set for August 31.

Adegboyega is considered innocent until proven guilty in court.