Two weeks ago, Nigerian entertainer D’banj was accused of rape by two people on Twitter. One accuser was talent scout Benjamin Ese, who accused the singer of raping his friend in 2018. The other accuser was the actual victim, who recounted the unfortunate experience.
After over a week of silence, D’banj responded to the allegations in a letter, calling them “false” and “an embarassment” to his wife. The victim, whose name is Seyitan Babatope later recanted her statement. However, there is reason to believe that she did so under duress.
Shortly after recanting the accusation on Twitter, promotions for D’banj’s music began to appear on Seyitan’s account. Actress Dorcas Shola Fapson later alleged that Seyitan had been arrested and kept in a cell with criminals.
The victim was allegedly repeatedly threatened and pressured into writing the tweets recanting her statements and promoting his music. He then allegedly tried to intimidate her into silence by threatening her with his lawyers and extended imprisonment.
Check out the tweets below:
For those who think D’banj is just doing what he can to clear his name, it is worth noting that each and every one of his actions so far are like those of a guilty and unrepentant person who has no issue abusing his power.
The normal course of action for a rape case is for both parties to be called in for questioning and the accused arrested. But in a lawless state like Nigeria, money is all the justice you need.
D’banj, first of all, tried to garner sympathy by mentioning the death of his son, which has absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand. He has allegedly resorted to manipulation, bribery, intimidation, and threatening to silence his victim. The court of public opinion is not in his favour.
As such, multiple Twitter users are calling on D’banj’s sponsors to drop him; including the UN and Heritage Bank, seeing as he is allegedly his platform to silence victims and drown accusations.
D’banj is moving mad on this case and public opinion suggests that he looks very suspicious. Do you think D’banj is guilty of rape? Read the accounts online and do with that information what you see fit. In the end, the truth always prevails.
