Oxlade to pay N5 million in damages over leaked tape
Singer, Ikuforijimi Olaitan Abdulrahman, nicknamed Oxlade, was fined N5 million by Justice Olalekan Oresanya of an Ikeja High Court for damages related to the release of a sex tape featuring him and a woman on the messaging app, Snapchat.
Justice Oresanya, writing in a ruling dated 24 January 2023 that has since gone viral online, called the singer's actions of surreptitiously filming explicit sex with a woman and then leaking it as "despicable, horrendous, distasteful, and classless."
In February 2022, the singer's sex tape appeared online without the woman's knowledge or consent.
Oxlade was compelled to apologise to his followers and the woman in the video after the public's outcry over the leaked film.
John Blessing had filed a lawsuit against Oxlade on March 15, 2022, asking for N20 million in damages and a statement that Oxlade's act of filming his explicit sexual actions without her knowledge and consent amounted to a blatant infraction of enabling laws and a severe violation of her fundamental rights to dignity, privacy, and freedom from discrimination granted 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.
After hearing arguments from claimant's attorneys E. T. Idemudia and O. S. Mabekoje and the respondent's attorney U. R. Michael, the court was ready to rule when the parties reached a mutually agreeable conclusion by way of a consent judgement.
Justice Oresanya, who rendered the ruling in the case, reprimanded the singer and warned him against engaging in similar behaviour in the future while interacting with people of the opposite sex.
"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," the judge remarked.
During the proceedings, the judge reprimanded Oxlade for showing contempt for the court and accused his attorney of helping his client dishonour the temple of justice.
The attitude of the respondent towards the proceeding leaves much to be desired.
“The Respondent failed to appear in this court and the only reason given for the respondent’s absence by his former 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."
“Client comes and client goes, the legal profession and institution remains. It is also disturbing to note as part of the tardiness of the respondent and his counsel that this terms of settlement was filed after the Honourable Court had concluded the hearing of the matter and on the verge of delivering its Judgment on the merit fixed for January 16, 2023.”
Justice Oresanya said the court would have awarded exemplary and aggravated damages far greater than the agreed settlement sum of N5 million against the respondent for the alleged “cruel violation of the privacy of the claimant via the online/internet publication of an explicit sex tape involving the claimant and the respondent on 9th February, 2022.”
Afterwards, the judge made the Settlement Agreement dated January 11, 2023, the official court ruling.
According to the settlement agreement, Oxlade will pay the claimant a total of N5 million in damages in two equal payments of N2 million and N3 million respectively.
The judge issued an order of perpetual injunction prohibiting the claimant from initiating any further legal process or any process with respect to the facts and matters giving rise to the suit, as well as from instituting or discussing the issues constituted in the claim on any platform, and in front of any third party.
Justice Oresanya urged the parties and their privies, assigns, agents, successors, attorneys, and personal representatives to keep the litigation and the Terms of the Settlement private.
If either side breaches the agreement, the other can sue for damages, including for any harm that came about because of the disclosure.