Last week (July 25) a lady by the name of Shella B who is based in
Atlanta, Georgia in the Unites States of America claimed that she was
raped by Timaya.
Shella B
The cover art of Shella B's new single (The NET)
Timaya's new baby daughter (Instagram )
Timaya's baby mama
(Instagram )
Timaya, Barbara and their daughter
Nollywood director Charles Novia has written about Timaya's recent alleged rape scandal, and has also penned his advice to the music star who recently had a baby girl.
Last week (July 25) a lady by the name of Shella B who is based in Atlanta, Georgia in the Unites States of America claimed that she was raped by Timaya.
Later that day Timaya responded by claiming that the sec between him Shella B was consensual.
In article titled ‘They Call Him Timaya; “Getting Down” Higher’, Charles Novia who doubles as a social critic these days comments on Timaya's latest controversial story.
You can read his article below;
"Dancehall cum Afro pop star act, Timaya, has been trending for a few days for the wrong reasons, perhaps.
"A
lady in Atlanta, America took to social media to accuse him of rape.
Initially when I read the news on a blog, I thought it was one of some
crazy publicity stunts some Nigerian artistes pull up and didn’t give it
a second thought, even though I abhor anything which has to do with the
violation of a woman.
Shella B
"Why
did I think it was a stunt at first? Because I know how puerile
sometimes our Publicists in the entertainment industry in Nigeria
sometimes are. They dream up the most assinine of capers just to get
their clients trending. Haven’t we read many? Two brothers fighting over
getting married or not, some actress owing for fake bags, supposed
twitter ‘fights’ and ‘notice-me-by-force’ holidays at exotic resorts.
Sadly, the job of the Nigerian Publicists in the entertainment sector
seem to be one which ensures that the client must trend by all means
necessary because it guarantees ( to them) media exposure and brand
visibility somewhat.
"But that’s a story to dissect for another day.
"And
so, Timaya’s ‘rape saga’ didn’t even as much as raise the hairs on the
nape of my neck when I first read it. But I had to sit up when the story
started gaining traction with posts after post by the alleged ‘victim’.
And I have concluded that it's not a joke; this ish is real.
"Sheila
B claims from her narrative and audio proof that Timaya forced himself
on her and raped her. Timaya’s initial response to a blogger was to
dismiss her claims even though he admitted that he slept with her
consensually and thereafter became suspicious of her motives. It was
when I read Timaya’s response to the story that I came to the near
conclusion that this may not be a stunt after all.
The cover art of Shella B's new single (The NET)
"Timaya’s
response was dismissive and ill-advised without any media management
helping out in damage control. That’s the first step for a celebrity
when these kind of things happen. It doesn’t matter who is right or
wrong but all that comes to the fore at first is perception management
for the celebrity. And Timaya had none in that first interview.
"He
implicated himself much in that interview, in my opinion and not of the
crime he has been accused of but of his admission of being in the same
room with the lady and revealing aspects of the post – coital incidents
which any smart lawyer in America could use against him in a court of
law. His honesty is commendable but a naivete not to allow a paid Media
manager give his own side of the story is my worry.
"According
to Timaya ‘…I agreed to see her and she came to my hotel in Atlanta and
we got down for real .When we were done and we were chilling…I got up
and started preparing for the show but I realised her phone wouldn’t
leave my face and she kept asking me stupid questions and even as I
answered, I wondered what she was up to ,then it hit me that she was
recording and I grabbed her phone and we struggled cos I wanted to
delete the videos she had made without my consent..I dont even know if
she still has any but I deleted the ones I could on her phone.
Timaya's new baby daughter (Instagram )
"I
called the hotel security and explained what had happened to them .I
told them to open her phone so that I could see what she had left but
she refused and was making a scene and the hotel told her to get out but
I didnt want her to go cos Í was scared of what she might have recorded
and I insisted on calling the Police but the hotel told me that if I
called the police,I might be arrested for holding her hostage in my room
so I let her go.’
"In ending his own
side of the story, he accused the accuser of trying to extort $50,000
from him in order not to reveal his deed and he claims he refused to
fall for that blackmail.
"An angry Sheila
B retorted ( in between putting up curious downloads of her single as a
musical artist) that she wasn’t lying and has reportedly filed a rape
case against Timaya with the Atlanta Police Department.
"Gbese re o!
"Now,
that’s serious. This tale has assumed new proportions and it doesn’t
look good for Timaya. The implications are dire for him. Effectively, it
means any time Timaya lands in America, he’s likely to be arrested and
charged for rape if Sheila persists with the case. If he is innocent,
which we all have to believe until he is proven guilty, then he also
needs to clear himself of these allegations.
"Here’s
what I would suggest Timaya should do; get a good lawyer and go to
America and prove his innocence. I repeat, that this is not an allusion
that Timaya is guilty but I’m concerned that he has to put this behind
to move on as a creative artiste and also to redeem himself and other
Nigerian artistes who might get affected by a blanket suspicion in the
eyes of the larger world.
Timaya's baby mama(Instagram )
"A
good Lawyer would ask questions on aspects of Sheila’s story which on
face value as it is from the statements right now; seem to be a bit out
of place.
"First, was the sex between
both parties consensual? Timaya claims it was; she claims it wasn’t and
actually took her phone after the intercourse to record her
conversations with him. Now, that’s where experienced Psychologists
would have to determine in court why she would record a guy who just
raped her, according to her, and still be asking leading questions to
cage him. Was it a post – traumatic syndrome or was she surreptiously
trying to trap him into admitting that he did it?
"Second,
she has denied that she requested for $50,000 from Timaya which makes
her motives not in anyway monetary by her denial. Yet a good Lawyer can
ask her why she put up links to her songs for downloads just after she
accused Timaya on her page. It doesn’t make sense. Was she seeking for a
validation of her artistry or what? And then, who is this Sheila B?
What’s her background? The Lawyers would have to research her
background and scrutinise her story to the last letter. Then, if she
claims she was raped and reported the case to the Police, did she go for
a medical examination immediately after the incident? Do the Police
have samples of Timaya’s semen from her? If indeed, she reported days
after the incident, were there signs of a struggle on her body or did
the people from the hotel who came after Timaya called them witness the
tell-tale signs of a rape scene?
Timaya, Barbara and their daughter
"Whatever
these and many questions would throw up, the reality about this issue
is a wake up call for all Nigerian male acts when it comes to sexual
relations with women who come at them as fans and friends. Be very
careful. What is taken as normal in Nigeria by these acts is much more
serious in the West. Sure, there are ladies out there who are good
stalkers and could set up a successful act but certain discretions are
advised when it comes to sexual dalliances.
"You
can’t really stop an artiste from dipping his wick in every paraffin
lamp but you can certainly advice him on how not to set the himself on
fire too! The frills and thrills of fame come with lots of groupies and
gold diggers and if you ask me, I would advice the male acts to try as
much as possible to ABSTAIN from those kinds of people.
"But
because it takes a lot of self – discipline to abstain, the other
option would be for the artiste to ensure that before “getting it on”
with the women who are wont to have one nighters, she signs a consensual
agreement on a page. Just a paragraph does it. You know; ‘I, Ms A,
hereby states that I’m having sex with Artiste B of my own free will and
consent’. That simple. Or even a video recording of same lines.
"That’s
how most of those American acts do theirs. And since the world is a
global village, our Nigerian acts have to learn from their counterparts
in this regard.
"Now, none should
misconstrue this to mean that all women these acts meet are all for
cherry pickings. But the reality is that a rush of blood does more to
people’s inhibitions when the chips are down. Or rather…when the slip is
down, if the pun is allowed here."
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