The police on Wednesday arraigned 24-year-old Bola Aseyan before a Yaba Magistrate Court on a five-count charge bordering on a false accusation, criminal defamation of character and offensive publication likely to cause a breach of the peace.
The arraignment followed a running battle of a series of accusations and counter-allegations made by the said Bola Aseyan, against the UK based medical doctor and Twitter influencer, Dr Olufunmilayo Ogusanya, who she had accused of rape on social media.
Following her accusations, there had been condemnations from various people against Dr Olufunmilayo and she further reported the issue to the UK Police as well as the professional body for medical doctors in the UK, the GMC.
However, the UK police investigated and cleared Dr Olufunmilayo while the GMC also carried out its investigation in collaboration with the police and ruled that the matter had nothing to do with professional misconduct while it followed up on the rape allegation.
Consequently, Dr Olufunmilayo filed a suit against her in the UK but she left the UK for Nigeria without attending to the matter and court papers were sent to her through her email but she allegedly failed to respond.
Consequently, reports were filed in Lagos with the police at the Bar Beach Police Station where she took her time before honouring police invitation.
She later showed up with her lawyer and all the evidence were presented to her but she still made efforts to stall the case by allegedly accusing police of destroying her phone among other allegations and even asked that the case be transferred before she was finally arraigned on Wednesday in a matter delineated BG/C36B.
The allegation in the count against her was that she with others at large between June 29 and July 1 at No 12A, Molade Okoya Thomas, Adeniyi Jones in the Lagos Magisterial District, conspired to cause injury to the person, reputation and profession of Dr Olufunmilayo Ogusanya by a false publication on social media tagging him as a rapist, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 413 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
She was further alleged of doing a report likely to cause fear or alarm to the public on social media that Dr Olufunmilayo Ogusanya is a rapist while knowing that the accusation is false thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 39 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
She was further charged for accusing Dr Olufunmilayo Ogusanya of rape while knowing the report was false in a bid to extort him, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 39 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015
Aseyan was remanded in the custody at Panti where she was ordered to undergo COVID-19 test before being taken to prison if she fails to meet her bail conditions. The matter was adjourned till October 14 for hearing.
Culled from Nigerian tribune
