D'banj Unlawfully Arrests and Intimidates Lady who Accused Him of Rape

On June 15, 2020, Dbanj procured the services of controversial and foremost Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), to slam a libel suit of N100 million naira on the Ms. Seyitan, a lady who had accused him of rape.  D’banj’s solicitor had asked his accuser to make a payment of N100m within 48 hours or face legal action.

The accuser, Ms. Seyitan, had alleged that Dbanj raped her on December 31, 2018, at Glee Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos. She revealed that the popular musician after acquainting with her at a party earlier where she had turned down his advances for intimacy, had driven all the way from Eko hotel where he was lodged and came down to Glee hotel in Victoria Island at midnight 2.40 am, collected her room's spare key from the receptionist and forcefully gained access into her room threatening to walk her out of the room naked if she refused him even as he kept his fingers in her vagina and repeatedly raped her.

On Thursday, 18, 2020,  events took a turn as varying reports emerged of D'banj's arrest of Seyitan.  Information gathered revealed that some policemen allegedly acting on the instruction of the singer, reportedly detained Seyitan for over 24 hours and made her delete all chats, social media posts, and other vital information related to the matter from her phone.

The incident elicited a wide range of criticism on social media with Nigerians calling out D’banj for intimidation and abuse of power.

While Seyitan was allegedly missing on Thursday, her Twitter account shared a yet-to-be-released record by D’banj, leaving many confused and infuriated
Seyitan's tweet promoting D'banj's latest song while she was allegedly missing

Celebrities and Concerned Citizens' Reactions to the Development

Music producer Don Jazzy wrote: “No matter how long a lie lasts, the truth will always prevail. The fact is that one of them is a victim and the law will protect that person. I stand firmly against rape and all injustices against women, children and everyone including oppression. I urge all victims to speak out and report to the appropriate quarters. It is also important that every accused person is given an opportunity to set the facts straight. For most of us, all we have is the good name our parents have given us and we must protect and bequeath to our own successors. This particular case saddens my soul but I am not competent to investigate or judge this matter. I implore the police to thoroughly investigate and courts to do justice.”

Rapper MI_Abaga on his part wrote “Some days I am ashamed to be a man because of how much we have failed our sisters, mothers and daughters. Today is one of those days and I know if I do not speak out today I will be complicit in a system that tells women to “shut up and don’t say anything. Society will not improve if we do not chase down the systemic methods by which women and girls who accuse people of violating them are silenced. There can be no sacred cows on this issue. We cannot say that we stand with women and then be silent towards actions that say to all women clearly, it is better to be silent than to speak. Any abuse of power and authority can not be accepted in this regard.”

Nollywood actor Timini Egbuson “I’m normally against cancel culture but Dbanj is canceled in my books for real if this all some sort of publicity stunt. Anyone with these types of accusations is foul and should face the full wrath of the law. What is even more disgusting than a cover-up is using this as an opportunity to promote his next song, which was what I meant.”

Mobilization of Cancel Signatures

Over 15,000 people signed an online petition calling on the United Nations to strip Dbanj of his appointment as a UN Ambassador for Peace, due to the rape and sexual assault allegation levied against him. They also called the attention of brands like Heritage Bank Africa, One Africa, CSA Global, and other establishments associated with D’Banj to end their commercial relationship with him and stand in support of victims of sexual violence.