 |
| Abiodun Fatoyinbo and Busola Dakolo |
Celebrity Photographer Busola Dakolo has denied making any claim for compensation from founder of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo who she accused of raping her as a 17-year-old.
Counsel to Dakolo and public interest lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, made the clarification in a statement in Abuja.
He said the N10m quoted by the media is the cost of the action carried out by her lawyers, to wit, litigation fee.
According to him: โFollowing the misinformation being circulated in print and social media on the pending suit filed by our client, it has become imperative to address and clarify the true state of affairs.
โThe Nigeria Police Force is still investigating the allegation of rape made by our client against the person of Biodun Fatoyinbo.
โIn furtherance of the Police investigation, the suspect (Biodun Fatoyinbo) was confronted by the complainant (our client) on September 5, 2019 at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Area 10, Abuja, during an investigation conference presided over by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mike Ogbizi.
โThe Police therefore have not taken anyone to court.
โHowever, our client, in furtherance of her civil rights, and in line with constitutional provisions, filed a civil suit against Biodun Fatoyinbo on September 6, 2019.
โThe civil suit is independent of the criminal allegations and/or investigation of the Police.
โThe suit has been the subject of several news headlines, albeit with a lot of misleading information. This missive is aimed at clarifying the misinformation and setting the records straight.
โFirst, our client filed the civil suit against Biodun Fatoyinbo on September 6, 2019 at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and not the Federal High Court, as widely reported.
โAs at the time of filing the suit, the same was yet to be assigned to a judge for hearing.
โSecondly, the court did not issue any summons on our client and the fourteen (14) days given to the defendant (Biodun Fatoyinbo), within which to enter appearance to the writ of summons commences from the date of personal service of said suit on the person of Biodun Fatoyinbo and this certainly will be after the matter has been assigned to a judge.
โThirdly, our client has not sought any monetary damages and/or compensation against Biodun Fatoyinbo in her reliefs.
โThis is because our clientโs reason for filing the civil suit against Biodun Fatoyinbo is, inter alia, for the court to make pronouncements on her rights as well as Biodunโs liabilities and also, to help other victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse gain the courage to confront their abusers, no matter how highly placed they may be.
โImportantly, the N10m quoted by the media is the cost of the action carried out by her lawyers, to wit, litigation fee.
โFinally, we would like to state that it is against the ethics of the legal profession to make statements on the substance of the matter that is still pending in court.
โIn view of this, we cannot make statements on other important issues surrounding the action.โ
