Music veteran D’banj ‘settles’ with rape accuser Babatayo Seyitan
Babatayo claimed that the music veteran raped her back in 2018.
Nigerian music star Oyebanjo Dapo, also known as D’banj, settled with Seyitan Babatayo, a 25-year-old woman who accused him of rape.
Babatayo accused D’banj of breaking into her hotel room and raping her in December 2018.
In the latest development in the case, the nonprofit organization Stand to End Rape (S. T. E. R), aimed at helping rape victims who were involved in the case, released a statement saying that D’banj and the Prosecutor had reached a “non-monetary settlement.”
“On July 13, 2020, Ms. Babatayo informed STER that a non – monetary agreement had been reached with the D’banja team,” part of the statement reads.
In a statement, STER said that they refused to participate in the settlement talks because it is contrary to the organization’s policy.
“Such agreements, in our experience, are often associated with an asymmetry of power between the accused and the victim,” STER said.
“More importantly, although private agreements are usually applied in civil disputes, they are not, however, applicable to criminal cases, especially in cases where a criminal offence has been reported, only the state has the right to terminate the criminal investigation and prosecution.”
However, in his response, Ms. Babatayo’s legal representative, Olamide Omileye of Ojoge, Omileye and partners, told Premium Times that the only agreement reached was that “both sides are going to drop media litigation and let the law take its course.”
He said both sides agreed to refrain from publishing any messages or leaking any information to the public and allow the police to conduct their investigation.
“The police are still investigating. Seyitan was in Abuja last week, and D’banj was also in Abuja. They met with the ACP and the woman fulfilled her part of the investigation, ” Omileye said.
“From our side, everything we have we’ve given to them and they’ve verified the information.
Also Read: Bobrisky shows that he is pregnant, shares a video of a huge baby bump
“Dbanj’s ex-manager, Franklin Amudo, didn’t come to the police station last Friday because of financial constraints. He couldn’t come to Abuja. I think that is the only thing delaying the investigations for now.”
There are also reports that the case has been dismissed although the police have not made any statement to that effect.
After being charged, D’banj faced further scrutiny after Babatayo revealed that she was arrested by police on the musician’s orders and forced to delete the social media posts with which she first disclosed the accusation.
She continued to file criminal charges against D’banj, while the musician’s former Manager Amudo also came out to confirm her claims.
