Only two years separated what many imagined were ruinous stains inflicted on Mr Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, also known as D’banj by himself. Back in June 2020, there was an accusation thrown at him alleging that he raped a woman named Seyitan Babatayo at a lodging, Glee Hotel Lagos a couple of years before.

In a different scandal in 2022, D’banj was accused of siphoning N900 million N-Power fund and that attracted investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) looking into his culpability.

So far, it has only proved a matter of ruffled feathers as there are documents showing D’banj had been innocent all along. A District Court of Abuja affidavits have shown testimonies given by the police and the ICPC that confirm the singer’s freedom from guilt.

The first affidavit that connects with the rape allegation is dated November 14, 2023, with case number CR:3000/X/FHQ/ABJ/SEB/T.1/VOL 18/284. It was reportedly signed by ACP YY Abubakar of the Special Enquiry Bureau at the Force Criminal Investigations Department at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Part of the statement contained in the affidavit reads that “The management and staff of the Glee Hotel averred that the first suspect was not seen in the hotel on the date of the alleged incident, nor was he given a spare key to gain access to any room in the hotel where the complainant lodged, and they have only one key to each room, which completely debunked the allegation of the complainant.

“The management of the hotel also held that it had no record to show that the complainant checked into the hotel as a guest on the alleged date, and she did not, at any time, raise an alarm, complain, or report any indecent assault or rape.

“There is no medical report on the victim to ascertain that she was raped. There are no adduced facts or corroborative evidence to substantiate the allegation of rape against the suspect. Prima facie offences of indecent assault, rape, and intimidation are not made out.

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When the rape allegation was laid out in public, D’banj was strongly defended by his counsel, Toheeb Lawal of an Abuja-based law firm.

And so in the affidavit, it was revealed that the complainant Miss Seyitan Babatayo, “through her counsel, Ojoge, Omileye & Partners, submitted a letter, dated July 17, 2020, to the DIG Force CID, to voluntarily withdraw the petition and discontinue the investigation.”

Now, that is just one allegation cleared. The second one is connected with fraudulent relations with a government-run empowerment programme which D’banj also denied. An affidavit dated November 29, 2023, can be identified with its document identification number ICPC/OPS/SDD/SPT.LG/31/23.

It shared that “The commission investigated issues of fraud in the administration of the N-POWER Scheme, where Mr Daniel Oladapo Oyebanjo’s name came up. However, there was no prima facie case of fraud against him.”

Since there was no fault that D’banj should be answering for, the report then “advised that Mr Daniel Oladapo Oyebanjo is not under investigation with the Commission for any fraud-related offence”, and therefore the singer’s shinning reputation as a top-performing artiste in his heyday remains intact.

The accusations faced by D’banj were a rough transition from 24 June 2018 when he lost his 1-year-old son in a swimming pool drowning that happened while receiving guests at his Ikoyi district residence in Lagos. It was pretty much a difficult moment to pass through with his wife Lineo Didi Kilgrow, but the singer displayed remarkable strength to pull through.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.