A male student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, identified as Ojuko Adefesobi, is seeking N15 million in damages and a full public retraction from his colleague, Adewale Adeola Adeife, following a false rape allegation she made against him on social media. The demand was contained in a legal letter from his solicitors after the accuser publicly admitted to lying.
The controversy began when Adefesobi, known simply as David on X (formerly Twitter), shared his opinion on WhatsApp regarding the trending Mirabel case. This disagreement allegedly escalated into online attacks, with Adeife, a student in the Department of English Language and Literature, publicly tagging him as a rapist and circulating his content in group chats. The situation spiraled until Adeife issued a viral video apology, retracting her statement. In the video, she stated, "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm making this video to apologise to David in regards to the post I made yesterday, calling him a rapist... It was the heat of the moment. I let my emotions take over me... He is never a rapist. I've never caught him raping anybody. David is not a rapist."
Despite the apology, Adefesobi, through his legal representatives, Anekwe & Associates, has insisted that the damage to his reputation remains substantial. The law firm, in a letter signed by Kingsley Anekwe, described the allegation as malicious, reckless, and without factual foundation. It stated that the publication exposed Adefesobi to public hatred, ridicule, and contempt, severely injuring his reputation among family, peers, and professional associates. "Following your publication, several persons privately contacted our client, directly referring to him as a rapist. Furthermore, as a direct consequence of the said allegation, our client lost certain business contracts and commercial opportunities," the letter read.
The legal team is demanding a written apology and full retraction published on all platforms where the defamatory statement originally appeared, including social media. They also demand the immediate removal of all related content and a written undertaking that Adeife will cease and desist from making further defamatory statements. She has been given 14 days from the receipt of the letter to comply with the demands, which include N15 million in damages, or face legal action. The law firm emphasized that the initial apology does not extinguish liability for defamation, as the harm caused by the widespread publication continues.
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