A Nigerian basketball player based in the United States, Daniel Adegboyega, has been charged with first-degree rape by forcible compulsion following allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at his apartment in Alabama.
Adegboyega, 21, was arrested in July by officers of the Jacksonville Police Department after the alleged incident at his apartment in Jacksonville, Alabama, according to a report by WVTM 13.
The athlete, who recently joined Jacksonville State University's men's basketball team ahead of the new season, is currently being held without bond at the Calhoun County Jail.
Court documents also indicated that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement had placed an immigration detainer on him.
Investigators alleged that the complainant visited Adegboyega's apartment on July 28 to watch a movie before the incident occurred.
Police said the woman discreetly sent a text message to her roommate after the basketball player allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward her.
The report stated that after several unanswered calls and messages, Adegboyega allegedly answered one of the roommate's calls with the woman's phone, claiming she was in the bathroom.
Alarmed by the situation, the roommate contacted the Jacksonville Police Department and requested a welfare check.
Officers reportedly arrived at the apartment around 2 a.m. and found the woman in an emotional state before obtaining statements from both parties.
Investigators also collected physical evidence from the scene, including a pair of trousers belonging to the complainant, which reportedly contained bloodstains.
Authorities said the woman accused Adegboyega of raping her twice during the encounter, an allegation the basketball player denied, insisting no force was used.
He has remained in custody since his arrest and has entered a not guilty plea to the charge.
During a bond hearing, an ICE official, Ty Unruh, testified that Adegboyega entered the United States on an F-1 student visa, which allegedly expired in 2023.
The immigration officer told the court that if the defendant is granted bail, he would be transferred to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana for proceedings that could result in his deportation to Nigeria.
However, Adegboyega's host father, Ryan Parlee, challenged the immigration claims, arguing that they did not accurately reflect the player's status.
Parlee said the Nigerian completed his high school education in Iowa in 2022 without returning to Nigeria and attributed the immigration complications to issues that arose after a family trip to Mexico and his subsequent transfer from the University of South Florida to the University of California, Riverside.
He further alleged that UC Riverside failed to complete the necessary immigration documentation before Adegboyega transferred to Jacksonville State University this summer, a development he claimed contributed to the visa complications.
The case is expected to proceed in an Alabama court while investigations continue.
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