This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 19, 2020, a petition to the United Nations (UN) to sanction D'Banj's youth ambassador for peace role was put up, garnering over 16,000 signatures in support of Seyitan Babatayo and other victims of gender-based violence.
The petitioner, E. Popoola, wants the UN and UN Women Africa organisations to remove the singer as a youth ambassador, citing that women in Nigeria are increasingly at risk of sexual violence.
Responding to the allegations, D'Banj in an earlier post dismissed the claims made by Babatayo as malicious, stating that his silence empowered people who have been misled.
However, in a recent post, the musician called for an end to what he termed as social media lynching over the rape allegations, insisting that the law must take its course.
"Innocent until proven guilty, stop the social media trial. Say no to rape and human rights violation," he wrote.
According to Seyitan, she spent almost 48 hours at the police station without being charged, and was coerced and intimidated by D'Banj and his team to retract her statements.
The case took a twist when reports emerged that D'Banj allegedly engineered the arrest of Seyitan and forced her to delete her tweets detailing the rape.
As the allegations gather steam, D'Banj's fans and loved ones have come out in support, thanking them for their prayers and positive comments.
"The truth will always prevail. God bless us all," he wrote.
