Music sensation, Ikuforijimi Olaitan Abdulrahman popularly known as Oxlade, has been dragged before a High Court of Lagos, for allegedly leaking a sex tape of romantic actions that occurred between him and his ‘lady friend’.
Oxlade was alleged to have also granted interviews on and and released the sex tape on several social media and blogs, despite a court judgment, restraining him from doing so.
Consequently, the Claimant in the suit numbered LD/ADR/5468/2024, Miss. John Blessing, through her lawyer, Olabisi O. Oluwafemi, is urging the court for the following reliefs against Oxlade: “a declaration that the interview granted and published by the Defendant on one Joe Akan’s Instagram platform @Joey Akan and on Youtube platform @ Afrobeats intelligence of the 15th and 16th of March 2024, in respect of the sex tape between the defendant and the claimant, and the consequent reactions and comments posted and published on various social media blogs, against the person and reputation of the claimant amounts to defamation of the Claimant.
“A declaration that the interview granted and published by the defendant on one Joey Akan’s Instagram platform @Joey Akan and on Youtube platform @ Afrobeats Intelligence on the 15th and 16th of March 2024 in respect of the sex tape between the defendant and the claimant, is a calculated attempt to disparage the integrity of the court and same amount to contempt of court as per the judgment of the court delivered on the 24th of January 2023
“An order mandating the Oxlade to tender unqualified and unreserved apology to the Claimant to be published on all his social media handies and in at least three (3) Newspapers with Nationwide readership or circulation for all the harm the defendant have caused the Claimant.
“An order of perpetual injunction retraining the defendant (Oxlade) by himself, his agents, privies, assigns, and personal representatives from making any oral of written statement about the claimant which is intended or reasonably, likely to disparage the claimant or otherwise degrade her reputation, whether such statement is truthful, fictionalized, and/or an option forthwith.
“Damages in the sum of N100 million only, being exemplary damages and compensation for the injury and emotional trauma caused to the claimant by the defendant’s defamatory publication and the consequential comments published by vanous social media blogs against the person and reputation of the Claimant.”
The Claimant, Miss. John Blessing, who is a student and caterer, in her statement of claim, averred that she met the Defendant (Oxlade) sometime in 2020 through the social media. Subsequently, both of them became friends and thereafter started an amorous relationship which resulted in her visitation to the defendant’s residence located at Willow Greens Estate, Herbert Orji Avenue, Osapa London, Lekki Phase 2, Lagos on February 7, 2022.
She stated that during the visitation, the Defendant (Oxlade) persisted in expressing his passionate love and feelings for her to lure her into engaging in sexual intercourse with him. Adding that after much persuasion, she could no longer resist the Defendant, hence, the she and the Defendant engaged in sexual intercourse.
The Claimant stated that even though she consented to the sexual intercourse between her and the Defendant, she had no prior knowledge that their sexual escapade was recorded. And that she did not consent to any recording whatsoever.
The Claimant averred that she was shocked to have been greeted by several calls and messages from friends and family informing her that her sex tape with the Defendant was in circulation on the internet on the 9th of February, 2022, barely two days after her visitation to the Defendant.
The Claimant avers that owing to the incident of February 7, 2022, she placed a call across to the Defendant demanding explanations as to why their private affairs were circulating all over the internet space. But the Defendant however failed to give a substantial explanation on the incident.
The Claimant further averred that she was met with much disappointment to later discover that the Defendant intentionally recorded the affairs between them without her consent and subsequently published same to generate traffic and attention in a bid to promote his music single released sometime in March 2022.
She stated that owing to the publication of the event of February 7, 2022, she suffered public ridicule, threats, insults, stigmatization from colleagues and friends, solely because of the defendant’s actions.
Consequently, she approached the High Court of Lagos State in a fundamental rights application with Suit number LD/13107MFHR/2022 between John Blessing V. Ikuforijimi Olaitan Abdulrahman (Oxilade).
The Claimant stated that after instituting the above action in court, the defendant influenced some respected individuals in the entertainment industry to intervene, appealing for an out-of-court settlement between the parties in suit no LD/13107MFHR/2022 between John Blessing V. Ikuforijimi Olaitan Abdulrahman (Oxlade).
The Claimant averred further that owing to the pressure and out of respect for these individuals, she reluctantly agreed to an out of court statement, even after the matter had been argued on merit and same adjourned for judgment.
The Claimant also stated that despite her resolve for an out-of-court settlement, the learned trial judge Hon. Justice O. A. Oresanya, High Court of Lagos State, Lagos Judicial Division was unequivocal in condemning the Defendant’s cruel act towards the Claimant while delivering its judgment after adoption of the Terms of Settlement dated December 11, 2022.
Miss. Blessing averred that the Terms of Settlement adopted as a consent judgment included various clauses, among which was Clause 5 which clearly states “further to (3) and (4), parties undertake to be liable for defamation in the event that they, as well as their privies, assigns, agents, successors and personal representatives, represent to the contrary.
The Parties shall not make any oral or written statement about each other which is Intended or reasonably likely to disparage the other party or otherwise degrade the other party’s reputation, whether such statement is truthful, fictionalized, and/or an option.”
The Claimant averred further that by virtue of Clause 5 of the Terms of Settlement, they are prohibited from making statements intended to disparage each other’s reputation.
The Claimant stated that sadly, she woke up to a fresh episode of defamatory publication by the Defendant on March 15 and 16, 2024, when the online media was awash with the defendant’s bare it all interview with one Joey Akan.
She stated that the Defendant granted the interview and published it on the 15th March 2024 on one Joey Akan’s instagram page @Joey Akan and on Youtube page @Afrobeats Intelligence. Adding that in the interview, the defendant could be seen relishing his uncommon achievement as a man and the lofty height he attained with the illegal release of the sex tape between the defendant and the Claimant; in the words of the Defendant “… I was like the measurement to quality sex.”
The Claimant further stated that the Defendant kept praising his sexual prowess exhibited in his performance in the illegally released sex tape while lowering her reputation in the public eyes. And that the defendant could be heard saying that he was the standard for quality sex and nothing less would suffice, without considering how his comment would affect her, and how the general public would perceive her when they come across the interview.
She also stated that the Defendant through innuendoes suggested that he was blackmailed by her in order to extort money from him. Adding that the clips of the aforementioned podcast went viral, spreading across social media platforms and popular blogs, one of which includes @lnstablog9ja, a media blog which has not less than 6.5 million followers and views.
The Claimant further avers that owing to the defendant’s interview, the several comments published on different blog sites are damaging, invidious and intended to lower her reputation as a promiscuous person. And that the above libelous publication was published by the defendant to the world at large
She stated further that she kept receiving calls and messages from some of the people that read the libelous publication.
On the nature and ordinary meaning of the libelous materials, the claimant averred that the libelous comments contained above individually and collectively referred to her and in their natural and ordinary meaning meant and were understood to mean, by her and in the eyes of reasonable and right-thinking members of the society that: “she is an immoral woman; a woman of easy virtue; a blackmailer; a loose woman and irresponsible.
The Claimant stated further that the Defendant interview talking about the sex tape and his sexual prowess as displayed in the video is a clear violation of Clause 5 of the Terms of Settlement which was made the Judgment of this Honourable Court on the 24th of January, 2023.
And that the Defendant deliberately and willfully made the defamatory words to ruin whatever is left of her reputation, by portraying her as a cheap prostitute that was used to demonstrate to the whole world that according to him, he can “smash”, that he is the standard for good sex and that he can “fuck”.
She averred that by reason of the libelous materials/comments above, her person and reputation have been seriously battered and damaged, and she has thereby suffered considerable hurt, pain, distress and embarrassment.
She also averred that unfortunately, she has been diagnosed to be hypertensive at a tender age of 23 years, since the first release of that sex tape that was recorded and released without her consent. And that she has been made by the defendant to relive the horror of the sex tape for the second time.
The Claimant averred that she instructed her lawyers to write a demand letter to the defendant in respect of his defamatory actions and in flagrant violation of the Judgment of this Honourable Court. The letter was served on the Defendant via his official management email address, mgmt@Moxladeofficial.com on March 21, 2024, at 3.41p.m, but the defendant in his usual manner disregarded the contents of the letter.
She further stated that despite the strong caution and reproach by Hon. Justice O. A. Oresanya, where His Lordship thoroughly berated the Defendant’s actions against the Claimant as “horrendous” and “classless” and sternly warned that such actions should not be repeated; the Defendant recent comments during the interview with Joey Akan show no remorse for his earlier unscrupulous acts towards the Claimant.
The Claimant averred that the more worrisome is the defendant’s attempt to reawaken an already settled issue, directly and indirectly encouraging a new audience to rewatch, comment and cast aspersions on her reputation. And that the Defendant in a bid to whip sentiment from the general public mentioned that he was blackmailed for a period of 2 years and he had to pay blackmail money. The Defendant statement is not only untrue but an attempt to impugn the integrity of the judicial system.
She also stated that the dissemination of these defamatory statements and violation of the judgment delivered on January 24, 2023, have caused significant harm and distress to her.
The Claimant further averred that the Defendant deliberate choice of words and actions in the interview aimed to debase her and to depict her as a woman of easy virtue who is only fit to be used as the lab rat for the defendant’s sexual prowess experiment and uncanny display of toxic masculinity. Adding that the defendant was malicious in granting the libelous interview and anticipated the damaging comments against her person.
The Defendant is yet to file any response or counterclaim to the suit, while no date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.
