Ekiti 1st lady shares near-rape experience, says she’s appalled at women shaming Busola Dakolo

The First Lady of Ekiti State, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, wife of governor, Kayode Fayemi, has shared her near-rape experience in the light of the case involving Busola Dakolo wife of R&B singer, Timi Dakolo.

Busola had accused Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly COZA, Pastor Biodun Fkjatoyinbo, of raping her when she was 16.

The wife of the Ekiti state governor who opened up in an article shared online said she is appalled by the number of women who have come out to shame and condemn the wife of the singer for daring to open up about her bitter experience.

She is also of the opinion that the culture of shaming rape victims and forcing them to silence their pain by parents, family members, guardians, and close friends must stop in Nigeria.

Bisi said, ”any adult who has a sexual relationship with a girl under the age of 18 is committing statutory rape, there is not such thing as consensual sex with a minor”.

According to her, Busola Dakolo and her husband Timi should be commended for their bravery as the court of public opinion seems to be in their favour over the matter.

Mrs Fayemi said; ”Over and over, supporters of the Pastor and some who claimed neutrality kept asking why Busola decided to speak up twenty years after the rape took place. Why is she speaking out now? Why did she not say something at the time? I could not believe some of the things people were saying, including those who ought to know better. Busola Dakolo and her husband Timi received unprecedented support for their bravery, the court of public opinion seems to be in their favour. However, I could not help but wonder how we got to where we are, a society blissfully unaware of the war that has been waged consistently on the bodies of women and girls from one generation to the next. Women don’t talk about what happened to them as girls or as adults because of the implications – shame, stigma, punishment, rejection. I am even more appalled at the number of women who have added their voices in the shaming of Busola. If you cannot say anything to support another woman in pain, say nothing. Keep quiet. If you are a fan of the accused Pastor, support him if you want, but you don’t have to call his accuser names.
She also went on to share two near-rape experiences as a child growing up and how her gut as a young girl and her mother’s immediate stand saved her from being a rape victim.

“When I was ten years old, my mother brought a male teenage relative to live with us to help around the house. His name was Sina. He slept on a mattress on the floor with my younger brother, while I was on the bed with one of my young Aunts. One night, before I fell asleep, I felt my bed covers being pulled. I pulled them back up. It happened again and I did the same thing. The third time, I allowed the covers to be pulled off totally to be sure I was not making a mistake. I sat up and asked Sina what he was doing. He said ‘nothing’. I stayed awake for most of the night. First thing in the morning, I went to tell my mother. She did not yell at me. She did not scream and call me a liar. By the time I got back from school, Sina was gone and we never saw him again. We never had any male relatives live with us after that.

READ ALSO: EXPOSED! Pastor Fatoyinbo of COZA raped me at 16, Timi Dakolo’s wife claims (Video)

“When I was in secondary school and home for the holidays, I was around thirteen at the time, I told my father I wanted to learn how to swim. There was this young man who lived next door, he used to run errands for my father, we called him Brother Lai. My father asked Brother Lai to take me and my Aunt to Airport Hotel, Ikeja, to teach us how to swim. My first swimming lesson was my last. Brother Lai held me from behind, teaching me how to kick my feet under the water, while at the same time pressing himself against me and touching me inappropriately.

“When I asked him why he was doing that, he asked, ‘Can’t I play with you’? The next day, when he came around for us to go for the next lesson, I refused. I never told my parents what happened, I just mumbled something about not liking water. I was afraid of causing trouble. I did not want Brother Lai to be sent away on my account, the same way Sina was frog marched to the motor park by my mother. I did not want my parents to think I was in some way encouraging these men to be inappropriate towards me. So, I said nothing, and just stayed out of Brother Lai’s way. Brother Lai had never given any indication that he was anything other than a respected older brother figure. I was however literally placed in his hands and he saw an opportunity and took advantage of it.

“That is what predators do, they wait for opportunities to present themselves and then they abuse trust and innocence. With hindsight, I shudder at the naivety of my trusting parents. I however learnt to appreciate my mother’s response to my claims, it could have gone differently. What if my mother had not believed me? What if Brother Lai had come into our house and I had let him in, and he had proceeded to attack me in my own home?

The comments of Mrs Bisi Fayemi comes after the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), says it is already seeking ways to address the rape allegations leveled against Pastor Fatoyinbo.

 

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