The actor, producer and director, Omoni Oboli makes great point.
On Friday, June 28, 2019, Nigeria woke up to photographer and mother of two, Busola Dakolo, Wife of Timi Dakolo give an interview to YNaija TV.
Full Interview: Busola Dakolo Opening Up On About Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo COZA
The four-part chat gave a detailed account of her alleged rape at the hands of Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, founder of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA). She claimed that he raped her twice – the first time, she was 17 and he was set to marry his current wife.
Since her account became public, it has caused a ripple effect in the Nigerian mainstream. Nigerian women continue to speak up about their rape, harassment and molestation.
Busola Dakolo has gotten as much support from heavyweight celebrities as clergymen have brought hell on themselves by being rape apologists or by simply saying nothing.
But on July 1, 2019, Nigerian actor, producer and director, Omoni Oboli took to her Instagram page to drop an insightful take on the cynicism that has trailed Dakolo’s account of her rape.
I don’t know where to start concerning the story that’s still unfolding as I write.
The Bible warns us to “be quick to hear, be slow to speak, and be slow to wrath”, and going by my personal experience of seeing how quickly many took sides without first getting all the facts, weighing it against the character of all the parties involved, given our antecedents, and then drawing conclusions from evidence and an objective comparative analysis of the accounts, rather than from emotions, envy, the thrill of seeing strife, I have waited to digest the whole matter first.
What’s her motive for speaking out? Was it just to spite the pastor in question? Was it to destroy his reputation, or gain some financial advantage? Was it to build followership through the scandal that would surely come, not knowing that the pendulum could swing in either direction, for or against her? What exactly would spur a wife of a reputable and beloved entertainer, a mother, a business woman, with a beautiful life, coveted by many, to come out to make this kind of accusation?
Given her antecedent of being a calm, ‘dramaless’ queen (unless Timi says otherwise), with no history of seeking attention or being overly dramatic (at least not publicly), how did she get to this point of going public at such a time as this simply to make ‘spurious’ accusations against a ‘man of god’, as some have said in a bid to sound ‘objective’? I listened to the story, and because I know her husband, and his personality, I restrained myself from trying to weigh in based on the emotions that came flooding in, but here’s the thing, there was some incoherency in some of the claims, not because I believe she lied about them, but in my opinion was born out of the truthfulness of the real account. Why do I say that? Because unless you planned your own rape, the accounts are expected to sound incredible and spurious, and I suspect that’s why we don’t have so many convictions in many rape cases. Is there a manual, or rapist playbook that’s being distributed to all would-be rape victims (aka all women, and some boys and men) that I missed that gives point by point descriptions…(slide right for rest of my write up 🙏🏾)
Of the impressive things he said, here are the three most impressive points he made;
1. There is no playbook to a convincing rape allegation
In Nigeria, a lot of people are entitled to women’s bodies. So instead of treating rape accusation with fairness, they ask if the victim hadn’t seen signs of her rapist’s tendencies beforehand.
They question what the victim was wearing during the shameful act. They throw dust into accusations by believing rape can only be in a certain way.
But during her statement, Oboli made a salient point, “Unless you planned your own rape, the accounts are expected to sound incredible and spurious, and I suspect that’s why we don’t have so many convictions in many rape cases.
“Is there a manual, or rapist playbook that’s being distributed to all would-be rape victims (aka all women, and some boys and men) that I missed that gives point by point descriptions of how to present yourself to the rapist so that the story can be more plausible or believable to the court to prosecute.”
This settles the matter of how to approach rape accusations.
2. Pastor Fatoyinbo should be investigated
Busola Dakolo’s accusation is not the first time Pastor Fatoyinbo would be embroiled in accusations of illicit rendezvous. Yet, he has never been investigated. In a case like this, there is precedent that arouses suspicion.
On the matter, Oboli makes the point, “How about precedence? There are other alleged accounts not reported, or have been reported but never been prosecuted in court or punished by the church. Does precedent mean culpability? Of course not.
“But it’s enough to push hard to see what the hell is going on. It begs a more robust investigation, which if for nothing else, may help save potential preys from the prowling fangs of suspected predators.”
3. ‘Touch not my anointed’ in the face of multiple accusation is a questionable stance
Ese Walter [Premium Times]
This is a such a funny stance. In her 2013 statement, Lawyer, Ese Walters who was the first woman to make an accusation against Pastor Fatoyinbo says he manipulated her and prevented her from going public with statements like, “Touch not my anointed.”
Yet, Nigerians still use it as a ground to shield a potential rapist from facing punishment. Omoni Oboli calls it an “Out-of-context scriptural abuse that is being used to justify the conpsiracy of silence regarding the problem of rape in our culture.
She continues, “Men of authority have have hidden behing this verse to perpetuate all kinds of evil within the ‘church.’”
Omoni Oboli completed her write-up by lending support to Busola Dakolo and her husband, Timi Dakolo.
