Entertainment
D’Banj Settles With Rape Accuser
Nigerian music star, Oyebanjo Dapo also known as D’banj has settled with Seyitan Babatayo, the 25-year-old woman who accused him of raping her. According to her, D’banj allegedly forced his way into her room and raped her in 2018.
In the latest development on the case, Stand To The End Rape (STER), a nonprofit organisation geared towards helping rape victims who were involved in the case have released a statement that revealed that D’banj and the accuser reached a non monetary settlement.
On the 13th of July 2020, Ms Babatayo informed Ster that a non-monetary agreement was reached with D’banj’s team in the statement, Ster said they refused to be involved in talks over a settlement as it goes against the organisation’s policy.
“Such settlements in our experience often involve an asymmetry of power between the accused and the victim more unfortunately, while private settlements are usual in civil disputes, they are however not applicable to criminal cases, particularly where a felony has been alleged to have been committed, only the state has the authority to discontinue a criminal investigation and prosecution”, the statement noted.
In their response however, Ms Babatayo’s legal representatives Olamide Ogunleye of Ojo Omilaye and partners told The Tide source that the only agreement reached was that both parties are going to stand down media trials and allow the law to take its course.
He said both parties have agreed to desist from making any post or leaking any information to the public and allow the police to carry out their investigation.
There are also reports that the case has been dismissed, but the police has not made any statement to that effect.
After the accusation, D’banj faced further scrutiny after Babatayo revealed that she was arrested by police on the musician’s order and forced to delete the social media posts with which she first revealed the accusation.
She went on to file a criminal charge against D’banj while the former musician’s manager, Amudo also came out to corroborate her claims.
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”