National News

By Ugo Kevwe

A 21-year-old Nigerian basketball player, Daniel Tobiloba Adegboyega, has been arrested in the United States over an alleged rape incident and suspended indefinitely from his college basketball team.

Adegboyega, who recently joined Jacksonville State University’s men’s basketball programme, was taken into custody and is being held at the Calhoun County Jail in Alabama pending a bond hearing, according to court records.

Authorities also confirmed that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed an immigration hold on the Nigerian athlete.

According to the arrest warrant, the alleged incident occurred on Wednesday. Investigators accused Adegboyega of engaging in sexual intercourse with a woman through forcible compulsion, an offence classified as first-degree rape under Alabama law.

Following his arrest, Jacksonville State University announced that the player had been suspended from all team activities while the legal process continues.

Adegboyega, who competed under the name Daniel Tobiloba during his collegiate basketball career, committed to Jacksonville State in May this year after spending the 2025/2026 season at California Baptist University.

Before then, the seven-foot centre played two seasons at the University of South Florida. He had initially signed with Kennesaw State in 2022 after attending Grand View Christian High School in Des Moines, Iowa, although he did not feature in any game for the programme.

Over the course of his college basketball career, Adegboyega has appeared in 27 games, making five starts while averaging 0.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

The rape allegation remains before the court, and under the law, Adegboyega is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.