Pastor Fatoyinbo gets cleared by Abuja high court with Busola Dakolo asked to pay costs of N1m

COMMONWEALTH of Zion Assembly (Coza) founder Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo has won his legal battle against celebrity photographer Busola Dakolo who accused him of rape in 2002 with an Abuja high court dismissing the case against him.

In July, Pastor Fatoyinbo was accused by Busola Dakolo, the wife of musician Timi Dakolo, of raping her in Ilorin years ago. Media attention the case has attracted forced Pastor Fatoyinbo to stand down as Coza's general overseer but he has since resumed preaching while the legal battle raged.

Today, a Federal Capital Territory high court sitting at Bwari, dismissed the case filed by Mrs Dakolo and awarded costs of N1m ($2,750) against her. In her ruling, Justice Oathman Musa held that the matter amounts to injustice and an abuse of judicial process, pointing out that the case is empty and purely sentimental.

In addition, Justice Musa said that the case was aimed more at cruelty than obtaining justice, ruling that the fine should have been 10 times more because the court’s time was wasted. Mrs Dakolo filed the suit against Pastor Fatoyinbo after alleging that he raped her and caused her emotional distress.

Pastor Fatoyinbo’s team of lawyers, led by Alex Izinyon, had, however, argued that the prayers in the suit were ungrantable by the court and that the suit was frivolous and an abuse of court process. Pastor Fatoyinbo was not in court because he is not required to appear in person for a civil matter and was represented by his lawyers.