Police locked me up with criminals for accusing D’banj of rape- Seyitan

Seyitan Babatoye, the lady who accused Afro-pop artist Dapo Adebanjo popularly known as D’banj of raping her, said she was locked up with criminals for almost 48hours by officials of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team.

“On 16th June 2020, almost two weeks after going public with my story, I was arrested by four (4) armed Police officers, who, under the pretence as delivery agent, gained entry into my home,” Babatoye said in a statement.

“I was then taken to IGP IRT office in Harold Shodipo, Ikeja and detained in a cell like a criminal.”

Babatoye’s friend Benjamin Ese in a Twitter thread in early June accused Dbanj, a multiple award-winning entertainer, of allegedly raping Babatoye at a hotel two years ago – in December 2018.

He said it happened at an all-white party where Dbanj allegedly offered her friend some money to spend the night which she rejected until the Oliver Twist crooner surprisingly showed up in Seyitan’s hotel room uninvited during the night.

“Dbanj drove all the way from Eko hotel where he was lodged and came down to glee hotel in Victoria island at midnight 2:40 am and collected the spare key from the receptionist,” Ese said in the thread which has since sparked an outrage.

She said D’banj allegedly “got into my friend’s room and forcefully threatened he would walk her out of the room naked,Kept his fingers in her Vagina and repeatedly raped her.”

The rape experience, Ese said, had caused Seyitan trauma since the incident happened.

Days after Ese’s tweet, Babatoye came out publicly to present herself as the lady who was allegedly raped by D’banj in December 2018.

D’banj denied any wrongdoing.

“Today (Wednesday, June 17) is exactly 1 week after my birthday and this will be the only time I will address the recent false allegations and lies from the pit of hell,” D’banj tweeted.

His management also said that the allegations were calculated attempts to ruin the singer’s image and disrupt the plans for his birthday and album launch.

“We strenuously deny the rape allegations and express our sincerest apologies to rape survivors and victims of this dastardly act,” the management said.

The management said their legal team was fully involved and will address this matter with the necessary legal actions in pursuance to the full extent of the law.

D’banj through his lawyers, Mike Ozekhome Chambers, demanded that Babatayo pays the sum of N100m within 48 hours or risk legal action.

The singer, on Tuesday, doubled down on his innocence in an Instagram post, suggesting that the outcry against the alleged rape is “social media trial”.

On the 16th of June Babatayo was reportedly arrested by the police from Sodipo station. Her lawyer, Olamide Omileye of Ojoge, Omileye, and Partners, told Premium Times that she was forced to delete her tweets on the rape allegations while in police custody.

But Babatayo tweeted that she and her mother were never arrested by the police.

“I’m moving on and leaving everything behind me,” she said in one of the tweets she posted to her handle on Wednesday evening.

Those tweets, Omileye said, were posted under duress.

Babatoye in her statement has now confirmed that she was truly arrested and locked up by men of officials of  Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team. This is contrary to the state’s Command spokesman Bala Elkana denial on Thursday 18th June that there is no such arrest in his command.

She also clarified that her mum was not arrested contrary to speculations online.

Babatoye said while in the Police cell she was asked to remain silent, with limited access to a lawyer, yet still oblivious to the crime she was being detained for.

” I spent almost 48 hours at the Police station, without being charged for a single crime,” Babtoye said

” 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 added

She said she was eventually released from custody after being made to sign a gag order by the Police and D’banj’s team, and could only post on social media what had been approved by D’banj’s team.

“I spent the night in a location of Dbanj’s team’s choosing, which was not made known to the public,” Bababatoye said.

“18’h June 2020: I was isolated from my family, coerced, pressured and intimidated in person by Dbanj and his team to retract all statements and to announce that my testimony was a publicity stunt,” She added.

Babatoye, however, stated that she was removed from the environment and taken to a safe place by friends and a non-governmental organisation – Stand To End Rape Initiative (STER) -, who swung into action, and tracked her to the location where she was being held by D’banj and his team, using satellite mapping.

“Since 181h June 2020, D’banj through his team has continued to harass me with increscent calls and boasting that he (D’banj) can buy off anyone within the justice system in Lagos,” Babatoye said.

Efforts to further get reactions from the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bala Elkana, and Nigeria Police Force spokesman Frank Mba on the incident proved abortive, as calls and messages sent to them were not returned or replied as at the time of filing this report.