By Bimbo Ogunnaike
At least 15,000 people have called on the United Nations to strip Oladapo Oyebanjo aka D’Banj of his appointment as Ambassador for Peace.
They people, in an online petition to the UN, also called the attention of brands such as One Africa, CSA Global Heritage Bank Africa, and other establishments associated with D’Banj to severe commercial relationship with him and stand in support of victims of sexual violence all over the world.
The petition, it was gathered, was started by one E.Pooola 20 hours ago on Change.Org had hit 14, 310 as of 11.10 am on Friday.
“We call on the United Nations, and United Nations Women Africa organisations to remove Nigerian artiste Mr Dapo Oyebanjo as a youth ambassador and distance themselves from his actions following the sponsored kidnap of Seyitan Babatayo who accused D’Banj of rape and sexual assault which happened in 2018.
“Women in Nigeria are increasingly at risk of sexual violence and the United Nations and United Nations Women Africa as an entity committed to the empowerment of women should not be seen to associate themselves with alleged rapists, abusers, and kidnappers.
“We ask the United Nations and United Nations Women Africa to support and lend their influence in helping Seyitan get justice for the abuse she endured in 2018 and the harassment and bullying in the past weeks,” the petition read in part.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had ordered a probe into the allegations of rape levelled against D’Banj.
Seyitan’s friend, Benjamin Ese, in a Twitter thread in early June, had told the story of how D’Banj allegedly raped Seyitan at a hotel two years ago – in December 2018.
According to Ese, the alleged rape happened at an all-white party where D’Banj allegedly offered her friend some money to spend the night which she rejected until he surprisingly showed up in Seyitan’s hotel room around 2am – at midnight.
“D’Banj 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 also added 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.”
According to Ese, the rape experience, had caused Seyitan some trauma since the incident happened.
One month after Ese’s tweets, Seyitan came out publicly to tell Nigerians that she was the lady who was allegedly raped by D’Banj in December 2018.
D’banj, however, denied the allegations levelled against him and asked his accuser to make a public apology and also pay him the sum of N100m in damages for defamation of character.
D’Banj is one of Nigeria’s biggest artists having won several music awards, including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the 2011 BET Awards, and Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards and the Evolution award at the 2015 MTV Africa Music awards.
