Tobias Sylvester
Seyitan Babatayo, the lady who accused popular Nigerian singer D’banj of rape, has filled a has filed a criminal complaint against the entertainer.
KanyiDaily recalls that on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, Seyitan narrated how Dbanj raped her during an all-white party in 2018, at Glee hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos State.
The 50-year-old singer has since then denied the rape allegations and asked his accuser to make a public apology published in four national dailies and also pay him the sum of N100 million in damages.
News soon filtered to social media space that Seyitan had gone missing and was reportedly arrested by D’Banj and his team in a bid to silence her.
Although she had come out to deny being arrested, Babatayo in a statement by Stand To End Rape (S.T.E.R) a non-profit geared towards helping rape victims, confirmed that she was indeed arrested last week as widely speculated.
The statement begins with Seyitan confirming that she has made a criminal complaint of rape against D’Banj. The first part of the statement reads:
“Yesterday, Monday the 22nd of June, 2020, I Ms Seyitan Babatayo, formally made a criminal complaint of rape by Mr Oladape Daniel Oyebanjo popularly known as a D’banj at the Gender Desk of the Nigeria Police Force Lagos Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja Lagos.”
Sayitan also revealed that she had tried to give a detailed account of her experience at Bar Beach Police Station in Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, June 6. “That attempt was thwarted by an officer of the law at the said Police barracks,” she says in the statement.
She also revealed that she was on Tuesday, June 16 arrested by four armed police officers who gained entry into her home under the pretext of delivery agents.
“I spent almost 48 hours at the Police Station, without being charged for a single crime,” she says in the statement.
“When I requested to know the reason for the police detention, the police refused to answer, but they continued to treat me like a criminal.”
After spending a night in detention, Babatayo reveals that she was released the following day and was made to sign a gag order by the police and D’banj’s team. She also says she was made to only make social media posts that were approved by D’banj’s team
“18th June 2020: I was isolated from my family, coerced, pressured and intimidated in person by D’Banj and his team to retract all statements and to announce that my testimony was a publicity stunt,” she also says.
Friends and activists had to track her to the location with the help of satellite mapping and she was immediately removed from the environment, according to the statement.
Babatayo also reveals that she has been harassed since then by D’banj through his team, who continue to boast that the singer ‘can buy off anyone within the justice system in Lagos’.
Babatayo also says she has enjoyed the support of well-meaning Nigerians including Mrs Akeredolu (SAN), former Attorney General of Ogun State who has put her full weight behind her and will be providing legal support.
She also expresses appreciation to the Attorney General of Lagos State for writing to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter and also the Inspector General of Police for instructing that the matter be investigated immediately.
PRESS STATEMENT: Ms Seyitan Babatayo on her criminal complaint of rape against Mr Oladapo Daniel Oyebanji and the timeline of events since she shared her experience. pic.twitter.com/NB9qqUhdKP
— S.T.E.R Initiative (@StandtoEndRape) June 24, 2020
Meanwhile, D’Banj has continued to maintain his innocence as could be seen in a video shared on his Instagram page, where he was dancing and singing along to his 2008 hit single “Olorun Maje”.
