We have not heard the last from the rape allegation levelled on Nigerian singer D’Banj by Seyitan Babatayo as it is taking new twists. The lady in question has gone ahead to file a criminal complaint against the entertainer.
In an official statement confirmed by Stand To End Rape (S.T.E.R) a non-profit geared towards helping rape victims, Seyitan stated that she was arrested last week to confirm speculations.
You recall that earlier this month, Seyitan had taken to Twitter to accuse D’Banj of raping her in her hotel room back in December 2018. Following the accusation, D’Banj is suing her for N100 million damages lawsuit and public apology. News circulated on social media space that Seyitan had gone missing and was reportedly arrested by D’Banj and his team in a bid shut her up.
However, she has been released and in a her statement, she confirmed that she was indeed arrested on June 16 and taken to the IGP IRT office in Harold Shodipo, Ikeja where she was detained, forced to delete her accusation and made to deny being arrested.
In her statement, she confirmed that she has made a criminal complaint of rape against D’Banj. It read:
“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.”
She also confirmed her speculated arrest, and revealed that she was detained without being informed of her crime or any access to a lawyer that read:
“When I requested to know the reason for the detention, the Police refused to answer, but they continued to treat me like a criminal.”
She went ahead to give a timeline of how events happened to avoid a distortion in the media revealing that she was allegedly raped on December 18, 2018. Spoke about it publicly on June 3 2020. Shared a document from her lawyer regarding the situation June 5 and was not attended to by the Police on June 6 when she attempted to make a formal report.
On June 15, D’Banj team published the N100 damages lawsuit and demanded an apology. She says she was arrested on June 16, she alleged further that on June 17, she was made to sign a gag order and isolated at a place of D’Banj’s team choosing where she could only tweet what they approved on social media. She gained her freedom on June 18 when through the efforts of her family and activist, her location was traced through satellite mapping. Seyitan also reveals that she has been harassed since that day by D’banj’s team who boasted that the singer ‘can buy off anyone within the justice system in Lagos’.
More Nigerians are throwing their support behind Seyitan. She revealed that the former Attorney General of Ogun State Mrs Akeredolu (SAN) will be providing legal support for her.
D’Banj has continued to maintain his innocence of raping Seyitan. In an Instagram post on Monday, the “Mobolowowon” singer danced and sang along to his 2008 hit single “Olorun Maje”. Meanwhile, social media has gone haywire with Nigerians blasting D’banj for his actions.