Sinmi Asomuyide: US-Nigerian officer at the centre of a shocking sexual assault case

A former police officer of Nigerian descent in the United States, Sinmi Asomuyide, has been indicted in a disturbing case involving the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl while on duty.

The 31-year-old former Kokomo Police Department officer was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Asomuyide allegedly transported the teenage victim in his marked patrol car while in uniform and sexually assaulted her in 2021.

Federal prosecutors say the assault included aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping, all carried out while Asomuyide was exercising official authority as a law enforcement officer.

The case was presented before a federal grand jury in Indiana, which returned the indictment earlier this month. He was arrested in the Northern District of Texas and will be transferred to Indiana for court proceedings.

The DOJ emphasized that the charge stems from the former officer’s alleged abuse of power to deprive the victim of her constitutional rights, a federal civil rights offense that could carry a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

The investigation is being led by the FBI Indianapolis Field Office, while the case is being prosecuted by attorneys from the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

Meanwhile, the Kokomo Police Department has not issued a public statement regarding the indictment of its former officer.