Nigerian musician — Ikuforijimi Abdulrahman, professionally known as Oxlade, has been charged N5 million in damages by Justice O. A. Oresanya of the Lagos State High Court for leaked obscene sex footage with a woman on Snapchat.
On February 9, 2022, a tape of the musician having sex with a lady went viral on the internet.
The singer secretly recorded the explicit sex and leaked the tape online, according to the judge, who delivered the verdict on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. The judge called the singer’s actions “despicable, horrendous, distasteful, and classless.”
The lady in the video identified as Blessing had on March 15, 2022, filed a suit before the court demanding N20m damages and a declaration that the respondent’s (Oxlade) act of recording their sexual acts without her knowledge and consent amounted to a violation of enabling laws and a gross violation of her fundamental rights to dignity, privacy and freedom from discrimination guaranteed under sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Articles 5 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement), Act, Cap. A9, LFN, 2004.
However, Justice Oresanya while delivering his verdict yesterday said: “The respondent failed to appear in this court and the only reason given for the respondent’s absence by his erstwhile counsel was the celebrity status of the respondent, which to my mind cannot be equated to that of many notable celebrity artistes in this country who have comported themselves well respectably both within and outside of this country.
“Counsel, as ministers in the temple of justice, should never encourage any party to a lawsuit or client in treating the temple of justice with disrespect and disdain no matter the status of the client in the society.
“By the consent judgement, Oxlade is to pay damages to the tune of N5m to the claimant in two instalments of N2m and N3m respectively.”
The judge further criticized the musician’s vile act, saying: “The action and attitude of the respondent (Oxlade), who is said to be a celebrity, is despicable, horrendous, distasteful and classless. The respondent is admonished strongly to act with utmost circumspection in his relationship with fellow humans, especially the opposite sex. What goes around comes around. I need not say more,” he concluded.
