Even Oby Ezekwesili’s Sons Know I Am Not A
Rapist, Mustapha Audu Tells His Story
SIGNAL on November 28, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Perhaps the biggest rape scandal of the decade,
the case of Lotanna Odunze-Igwe and Mustapha
Audu, one of the sons of Prince Abubakar Audu,
a former two-time governor of Kogi State who
passed on last Sunday is an interesting one.
Lotanna, popularly known by her social media
identity, @sugabelly on Sunday exposed horrible
details of how she repeatedly suffered sexual
abuse in the hands of Mustapha, his brothers,
his cousin and his friends. Her tweets, laced with
graphic details of brutal sexual assault came
moments after news of Prince Audu’s death
filtered into the Nigerian media. Her story, gory
and dehumanising as she portrayed it,
immediately drew the sympathy of a wide
section of the Nigerian public with
condemnation and attacks targeted at the
alleged perpetrators of what many thought was
only possible in seedy x-rated Hollywood
productions. All through this moment, the
accused were silent. Their side of the story was
completely lost in the social media mob that was
already screaming blue murder! Perhaps, the
accused sons of the late Prince Audu were too
engrossed mourning the demise of their father
to be bothered about allegations and
condemnations that had gone viral in the social
media. Just yesterday, Friday November 27,
2015, the accuser once again released another
bombshell, this time a detailed blog account of
her ordeal in the hands of Mustapha, his
brothers, his cousins, and his friends. It was a
chilling story that sparked further sympathy
towards the “victim” and more condemnation
towards the alleged perpetrators. In this
exclusive interview, Publisher of SIGNAL, Ohimai
Amaize and Editor of SIGNAL, Yemi Adebowale
sat down in a chat somewhere in an apartment
in Asokoro, Abuja face to face with the man in
the eye of the storm, Mustapaha Abubakar
Audu. This is his story:

Who is ‘Sugabelly’ to you?
Lotanna as her real name is called, is someone
who we were colleagues together while I was
serving at an IT firm in Abuja called Alteq. She
was a staff at Alteq. We were colleagues for a
while and at some point we dated for about two
months. I came back to Nigeria in 2006, and it
was at Alteq I first met her. I’m not sure how
long she had worked there before I came to the
company for my NYSC. It was a long time ago. I
was about 24 then. We talked like every other
person. There was a time she had a party for the
office, I thought it was a party for the office but it
was her birthday party, her 18th birthday party.
It was in March of that year. I didn’t go for it. I
usually don’t go to office parties. I had another
business. I was working at my company and at
the IT firm as well. So one day at the office she
came to me and harassed me that I missed her
party and I said, oh, don’t worry I will make it up
to you. I will take you out for sharwarma and I
took her to 212; then they used to sell
sharwarma. This was the first time I took her
out. There are emails to corroborate this. From
then on we started talking. She was a very
interesting personality. She is very brilliant and
she reads a lot of books. I read a lot of books too
and I don’t meet people who read a lot of book. I
used to read a lot of fantasy books. All these
Game of Thrones people are watching as movies
now, I read them as books like ten years ago.
Night Shyamalan, Wheel of Time, Lord of the
Rings, Inheritance Cycle, many many books I
read years ago and there were very few people
who knew these things. She was one of them.
She read a lot and she wrote. She was a very
brilliant writer; in fact, I think that was why she
was working as someone’s secretary at the
office. She used to write a lot of letters for the
company. Claims have emerged from her that as
at January of 2007 I was in a relationship with
her and doing all sorts of wicked things to her.
Just like now, in December, precisely December
17, 2006, I lost my mum. I was in the UK. I
watched my mum die. I loved my mum. I
brought her body back to Nigeria, so just like
now I was going through a period of grief. So it
wasn’t possible all the things she is claiming that
I did. I would be mourning.
How long did your relationship (affair) with
her last?
Our relationship lasted like a month and a half.
Not even up to two months. I found out she was
sleeping with my friends. She slept with a couple
of my friends. I discovered and told her about it.
She told me she loved me, she wanted to marry
me and was madly and deeply in love with me.
And I told her it’s not possible, we can’t get
married because I am not at the stage where I
wanted to be married. And you’ve had
something to do with my friends, so the
relationship ended. While we were in the
relationship, she had told me things about her
mum, that she hated her mum, her mum wasn’t
there for her and stuff like that. She sent me an
email once making reference to her having
visions of violent rape the first time that we had
something physically. She said she had visions
of violent rape from a past memory and that we
weren’t close enough for her to tell me the
details. On one occasion then when we spoke on
the phone, she said I shouldn’t abandon her, and
then she told me that her mum’s boyfriend
raped her. She said a lot of negative things about
her mum. This was part of the reason I didn’t
want to release these emails to protect her.
But the main reason I am doing this is because I
got a call today, someone told me that her
friends disclosed that she’s being planning this
for while, she is actually writing a book and
planning to finish a book, she wants to start an
NGO, she wants to appeal to the US government
about surviving rape in Africa and she wants to
use my family, because of my family’s political
name to get traction. I heard she is getting
influential people involved, I hear she has
involved the lady behind the Bring Back Our Girls
campaign, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili. Dr. Ezekwesili
reminds me of my mum. She reminds me of
someone who should have been my mum and if
someone said something about your son, you
shouldn’t immediately go to the world and say
“Oh, you are this or that.” At least call your son,
hear him out. And this is not even about me
wanting to say anything to defend myself.
Please read the communication between me and
this girl. Everytime I sent her a message, it was
always about “How are you doing? Hope you are
doing okay? Don’t be too nasty in college. But I
know you are very smart and you will do well.”
Even in the emails, I mentioned that I
encouraged her. She even sent me a message
on Facebook apologizing for flirting with my
friends, how she loves me and I told her, it’s
okay. It’s not the end of the world. And now,
people are saying I’m such a beast and I’m such
a monster. You didn’t even talk to me. You didn’t
even ask me… These things are so horrific. What
kind of person can actually do these things? Not
only did I do that and I did it with my younger
brother that was just 15 back then? I did that
with my older brother who was about 30 years
old then? And this older brother is not my
immediate older brother. He is two brothers
ahead of me. Then my cousin? Then my friends?
Then the Nigeria Police Force? This is such a
movie.
“I was terrified that my refusal would mean
the exposure of the pictures he had taken of
me early in our relationship, photos I told
him not to take, but he did anyway, photos
in which I was naked and vulnerable. I had
so much to be fearful of. The thought of the
videos Abdul recorded of Mustapha and
Tunji raping me seeing the light of day filled
me with sheer terror. The alternative was
keeping it all secret, and so I did.” This is a
quote from her account. She claims the
reason she couldn’t report you to the police
or leave you was for fear of you releasing
tapes and pictures of her in vulnerable
conditions that you took and threatened to
release if she left you. What is your response
to this?
It’s a lie! The only pictures I have of her are the
ones she sent to me. She sent me nude selfies of
her. Come on! People have gotten so used to
technology today in Nigeria that they forget what
it was like in 2007. I couldn’t have had the
sophistication to do these things she is saying. In
2007, we didn’t even have this kind of hands on
technology to video or record people. Except she
is saying I had this massive camcorder that I was
carrying all around to record her. It’s a blatant
lie.
How is your family reacting to this?
Of course it’s very hard. We are mourning. She’s
been releasing these this for a while. She’s been
doing this for a while but my family has kept
quiet all along because we know the truth. Yes,
some of my family members are really shaken
right now. We are grieving. I have just been
orphaned. I loved my dad. My dad is a hero.
Anybody from Kogi State knows that. Look at his
burial. How many people have received his
burial? Look at the whole country? If we were
such wicked people, if my dad was a monster,
would people react? There was a rumour that
my dad had risen. If you saw the people the way
they were praying and rejoicing. And now this
girl has used this unfortunate incident to
capitalize in painting my family as evil…
How long have you been married?
I have been married for like six years now. I got
married December 15, 2009. And that was when
my problem with her really started; when she
found out I got married.
Have you ever raped anyone?
Come on, why would I do that? It doesn’t make
any sense whatsoever. I can never and will never
support such heinous act. Come on! It’s not even
a question you ask a normal person. It’s like
asking, have you committed murder before?
Because it’s such an inhuman thing! And I
understand why people would do this and she’s
brilliant. Because she knows human beings are
emotional and sentimental. Play on their
intelligence. Play on the fact that women have
been raped before and for us men, we hardly
speak up. I am not saying men are angels. I’m
not saying I am an angel. But I have never raped
anyone in my life before. I am happily married. I
have three little daughters. I can’t even imagine
it. God!
You know what? I am going to step out for those
who have been accused falsely. There are a lot
of people who have been falsely accused. You
know, because of my last name, I am fortunate
to have the opportunity to speak up. You see,
people don’t even need to hear me speak. Just
read the conversation I had with this lady and
you can read her blog. It’s just a blog. You can
compare the two. In my email conversations
with her, you can tell that I have genuine feelings
for her and she has genuine feelings for me. We
are communicating as human beings. Then you
read this blog and it’s something else. In her
mails to me, you will read her asking about me,
my brothers, my friends, my cousins, telling me
how she knows that I’m so hardworking and that
I’m a good person. I don’t understand how that
translates to a blog that says I was such a
terrorist.

What do you think she wants from you?
It’s fame. It’s simple. Fame. She has skills and in
her heart, she’s found out that you know what?
My blog isn’t really getting a lot of traction, I’ve
been working on this story, I’ve been writing a
book, so let me put out this story first. First, she
got some Twitter people to put it up, when that
didn’t get as much traction, she resorted to this.
That was the groundwork for this. Now she has
put this on her blog and everybody is going to
her blog, she is about to launch a book on
surviving rape in Africa; all of this is some sort of
elaborate plan to make money and fame to the
detriment of someone who hasn’t done anything
to her. Whatever it is that’s bothering her, I think
her mum should speak to her. Her mum
honestly needs to speak to her. Her being in the
US and being away might not be the best
solution. She should actually have a sit down.
What is bothering her? She told me she hates
her mum, that her mum’s boyfriend raped her.
Let her talk to her mum about that.
What is your next line of action?
It has to be a legal action. I’m not doing this
because I want money from her. The suit I am
going to carry out against her has nothing to do
with money. I want her to write a public apology,
publish it in the newspaper, take down her blog
and retract all she said against me. I want all
those she has lied to, to know she lied against
me. She needs to come out and tell the world: “I
lied about this. These people are innocent of all I
said against them.” That’s what I want from
her.And going forward, I want people like Dr.
Ezekwesili to think before they act. People called
me to draw my attention to her tweets. I thought
she was fighting for a cause. I thought she was a
mother. I know her sons and they know me.
Chine and Chuba used to play football together
with me every weekend. They know me. I am
not a rapist. I had a mother and my mother
would not be proud of Dr. Ezekwesili. What
would have been her first reaction if this same
girl accused her sons of rape? Would she have
gone first to Twitter to condemn them? Would
she have gone first to Afe Babalola SAN? If that
would be her first reaction, then I must confess,
she must be a really terrible mother. Is her
cause real? What cause is she on? Is it because
Bring Back Our Girls is no longer working? Dr.
Ezekwesili, please read the emails. Your sons will
tell you the same. They are my friends. They
know I’m not a rapist. Have you approached me?
Have you said who is the person? Let me
approach him? Let me reach out? Please
someone give me his number. She didn’t do this,
instead she went to Afe Babalola. Chuba is my
good friend. If they said this about Chuba, would
she go to Afe Babalola? Please answer me?
I never did anything to Lotanna, read the emails.
Don’t even listen to me, please read the emails.
Since she’s made claims, read our mail
conversations after the events she alleged
occurred had happened. Read her timelines.
Some of these terrible events were occurring
and she wasn’t talking about it? She’s emailing
me and I’m emailing her and not for once was it
mentioned? Come on! No, that just means
nothing was actually going on except our normal
conversation. I had other people in the office
that left, some for the UK that I still chat with.
We were colleagues!

What is your advise to men out there who
find themselves in your kind of situation?
I have to stand up for those who have been
victimized, those who have been condemned
even before they were given a chance to defend
themselves. I will be fighting, like my father who
has always been a fighter. And I am a winner. I
will fight this and anyone who believes that what
I have done is so terrible based on the
allegations, I will ask you, please come and ask
me. Come and hear my own. If you are not
satisfied then you can do anything. The truth is
out there. Nobody right now in the country
knows what I am feeling right now, the trauma
and the stress. Everyone is calling either to
condole with me or to condemn me for what
was alleged against me. People are asking, what
did you do? I am under tremendous pressure. At
the same time, I am grieving. I don’t have a mum
anymore and I don’t have a dad. A lot is going
on. I can’t even breathe. No one cares. Everyone
just sees me now as a monster; this guy, his
family… and its very painful and it could cause a
long-term damage not just for me.
Unfortunately, I am not active in the social
media and even if I was, I don’t think it is
appropriate to just expose her and her family
issues. That’s why I kept quiet. But to all those
out there who are quick to jump to conclusion
when you hear one side of the story, please have
a rethink. It’s not fair. I was long guilty before
anybody decided to contact me to hear my side
of the story. I thank those who refused to jump
to conclusion, but for the many majorities who
did, it’s not right, especially given this time that I
am grieving. I just got orphaned. It is very very
sad. She probably did this because she knows I
will protect her. I have children and I know what
it’s like. I will not release everything she sent to
me. But please read the emails and Facebook
conversation.
I will also like to appeal to mothers today. They
need to take responsibility for their children. I
am certain that there are many people sitting
and rotting in jail because of this. I will not go
down quietly. I will not let them tarnish the good
name and image my father built. I will not let
someone my family’s grief as an opportunity to
launch a social or a media career. I will not allow
it to happen. I will start a legal process and I will
sue everyone who decides to make me their
next launch pad. Once this is over and the dust
settles down, I will be starting an NGO for those
who have been falsely accused and for those
who have been falsely accused by authorities
bigger than them and for those who have been
falsely accused of rape. I believe they need a
voice and I will be that voice.
______
Credits:www.signalng.com
Cc:lalasticlala,seun

Sugabelly this night again

This is kinda too long for me to read, summary please

Its for purpose of enlightenment,at least for the public to hear his version of the alleged events.

queenfav:
Its for purpose of enlightenment,at least for the public to hear his version of the alleged events.

Both parties had better find ways to reenact this in a short movie, coz nobody got time to read all this stories.... At least sugabelly's version has a lot of sexual innuendos to captivate the readers

whatever! na u sabi.... whoever is a rapist ain't deserve a good life, I'm not saying he is or he's not, but truly u did... u will pay bro

ok

Now he's acting like a saint. Well, I was not there when you two were dating, all I know is that her story sounded kind of real, in fact, more real than his seems, but let God judge the matter.

Endtime sugaBELLY n her alleged rapist.

This story reminds me of PASITOR BIODUN of CoZA church n Ese walter....pasitor we are still waitin for your side of the story oooo.

I read d story she had posted, to be honest, it didn't sound real.it sounded like her weird fantasy. Then I saw d emails between them,the lady is lying against him.

Most Nigerian youths cant read between the lines because they actually don't do any reading at all.

If you read novels and watch movies and cartoons and comics etc you tend to develop a certain creative streak in writing, music etc.

Anyone who has a critical eye for this things can tell that Sugabelly is lying about a lot of things. I am a writer and her power of description is too precise, the words just too apt like the exact sort of words a good writer trying to convey a mood would use.

I didn't buy it. She has issues. Besides, no sensible lawyer would take her case because even if she was being truthful, you can't actually prove rape in a law court based on the evidence she has provided. Her case is dead on arrival which defeats the purpose of this entire charade.

ahnie:
This story reminds me of PASITOR BIODUN of CoZA church n Ese walter....pasitor we are still waitin for your side of the story oooo.

I posted this here because mustapha spoke up,which I commend him for.He may be lying,but he at least responded to the allegations.That COZA pastor just decided to plead the fifth amendment till jesus comes.This their matter,only God can resolve it o,cos we no know who to believe.But I am more inclined to go with him sha due to the girl's mental disorders.If you have seen the orphan(that scary movie),it has a similar story.The child/old woman in disguise was good at cooking up stories,acting all perfect..Wheras she was a serious pyschopath who later killed the adopted father.The man sef was shocked in the end cos he never believed it when the wife voiced her concerns over the girl's lying and pretentious attitude.

TheFury:
Most Nigerian youths cant read between the lines because they actually don't do any reading at all.

If you read novels and watch movies and cartoons and comics etc you tend to develop a certain creative streak in writing, music etc.

Anyone who has a critical eye for this things can tell that Sugabelly is lying about a lot of things. I am a writer and her power of description is too precise, the words just too apt like the exact sort of words a good writer trying to convey a mood would use.

I didn't buy it. She has issues. Besides, no sensible lawyer would take her case because even if she was being truthful, you can't actually prove rape in a law court based on the evidence she has provided. Her case is dead on arrival which defeats the purpose of this entire charade.

my dear..d way she was freely using obsene words like fuu.ck..just made me give up on her!A rape victim would not even be so brazen in giving account of what happened.At a point it felt like she was writing for sextails website.Only God knows the truth sha.

This drama is getting too long and unnecessary. Everyone is claiming innocence and decency when all the worms are spilled outside. Msheeeewww

Exactly, instead of saying no comment, speak to my lawyer etc he must do the usual telling my own side of the story kinda thing.

SAMBARRY:
This drama is getting too long and unnecessary. Everyone is claiming innocence and decency when all the worms are spilled outside. Msheeeewww

I read a bit of the Sugarbelley story and I'm sorry, but it was like I was reading a sick fiction novel, so unreal.

I took time to also look at their email exchanges which she posted herself and still once more,all I saw was an emotionally battered girl stuck in love with a guy who doesn't give a fvck about her.

And now the guy claims she was above 18 when they started dating

Sugarbelley needs help, that is if she aint just trying to sell her book or movie .

ifyalways:
I read a bit of the Sugarbelley story and I'm sorry, but it was like I was reading a sick fiction novel, so unreal.

I took time to also look at their email exchanges which she posted herself and still once more,all I saw was an emotionally battered girl stuck in love with a guy who doesn't give a fvck about her.

And now the guy claims she was above 18 when they started dating

Sugarbelley needs help, that is if she aint just trying to sell her book or movie .

if you read her blog posts,you will know how mentally troubled she is.Nigerians just took to cursing the man out before even hearing his own side of the story.Many say the fact that she alluded to these things since 2007,it therefore has to be the truth.When you research the behaviourial traits of mentally disturbed persons,you'll find an unusual ability to be very creative..Also they take patience to a whole new level.I read a book about the world's most intriguing murders.A lady spend 9 years of her life planning the murder of her husband and his mistress.And guess what,she got away with it until 2013. when offender profiling by the behavioural unit of the US CID revealed that she did it.She was mentally assesed to have bipolar disorder.Her alibi was watertight.I would have bet on everything I had that's there was no way humanly possible that she could have been the one to kill them.Lo and behold,she pulled it off due to the uncanny intelligence most psychos are known for.So anything's possible o,that's why the law insists on presumption of innocence until a court of law finds an accused guilty.Many people have already sentenced the guy,without stoping to ask how true the allegations are.Besides based on her twitter history,I for one knows that she is a pathological liar.Person when say she score 406 for jamb?That she designed a website at age 9?Leave matter for mattias abeg.

One of my first comments on this issue is she's a scorned ex out for revenge. Reading her twitter rant gave her away as to the kind of person she is. All this one na attention-seeking tins.
I wonder what the mob of women's rights crusaders would say if it is confirmed that she was indeed 18 before anything sexùal happened between them. It's a shame so-called educated people reason like uninformed teenagers. The very idea of a justice system should be a guide to anybody with an education.

story story stoooooooooooooooooooooooooory

What sort of NGO is he starting for those that are wrongly accused? he might have been wrongly accused truly but I doubt if victims lay false allegations about rape.

They should sort their rubbish out and let's hear word, lesson to every youth.

I've got a teenage daughter,so when I first read Sugarbelly's story I was sick with rage at the perpetrators of such heinous crime such as rape.
Then I decided to visit her blog out of curiosity and what I read there came across more like the pages of a Harold Robbins/Joan Collins/Jacqueline Susan fantasy novel.
It came out more like novel written by an obsessed ex lover,who was angry that she had been scorned and was out to get revenge by destroying the name of her ex lover.
That Sugarbelly lady is troubled and it is obvious that she needs medical help.

armyofone:
Exactly, instead of saying no comment, speak to my lawyer etc he must do the usual telling my own side of the story kinda thing.

that's what happens when men grown men for that matter still have the brain of 6 year olds.just like you have in a classroom in a primary school where a primary 2child reports his mates to the teacher and the other one to reports to the teacher in a bid to get attention from everyone

Cc
Mindfulness
Anonimous
Dbard
Snubish
Funlord
Njokusboy

Even if he is a rapist
Do you expect him to say he is?

nope.
But then he has spoken his side.

Onegai
Cococandy
Afroknight

for your reading pleasure.

5minsmadness:
nope.
But then he has spoken his side.

Onegai
Cococandy
Afroknight

for your reading pleasure.

Sorry, not gonna get into this again. I'm googling up "Queefing" and wondering how to convince hubby to gestate our 2nd child. All these side effects of having a baby...

He sounds like a saint. I don't know any saints in this world, family included. I strongly believe he had wild sex parties, but that is his business (who am I to judge? How do you I'm not just done attending one sef? ). But I'm surprised because at first he earlier said she turned 18 after their relationship started but it has changed. The important thing is WHAT AGE SHE WAS when they started. If she was of legal age, well I may deplore their morals but it ain't my business. Like I've always said.

And anyone who truly believes such wild stuff doesn't happen in Nigeria, is being unbelievably naive. And if course they always blame the girls. The only guy I know who was honest enough to admit liking group sex and didn't blame the chic involved (she was a willing partner), I still respect him till now. The others who (for example) took a LASU girl back to his room and then walked out after he was done, leaving her to the rest of his roommates and the guys next door, not only made a joke of it (that was how I heard, they cracked it in front of me). And they too, swore they didn't rape her. Because she agreed to it (never mind that it was 1am, in an unfamiliar place, person who brought her there set it up and walked away when the other boys showed up and they said the girl first begged to be let go but they told her they will drop her back at school. after, just like the boys on the ABSU video). But yeah, according to them, it wasn't rape.

5minsmadness, when they started kidnapping young girls up North and during that whole Chibok girls saga, a lot of people didn't believe and were not unfazed by the tale. Do you know why? because a lot of people said northerners marry early so why complain they kidnapped 15-16 year old girls writing exams, when their mates are marrying at 13?

Same thing I'm seeing in this situation: people are saying "why is this girl complaining when I've read her blog and she doesn't fit the mould I believe a teenage girl should be and just see the way she expressed herself on her blog". Does that mean she deserves to be assaulted?

Do we discount victims of any crime because they're not good people?

All she has to prove is to a judge that she was 17 and that the first group sex was against her will.
They are taking it to court and that's good.