A widow, Victoria Adedoja, who is a retired teacher, has cried out to well-meaning Nigerians for help so that her son, Adedoja Olaniyi Bah, who is serving a sentence in the United States can appeal his conviction and regain freedom. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE reports:

MADAM Adedoja Victoria, a retired teacher and widow was full of joy when her son, Adedoja Olaniyi Bah, moved to Tokyo in Japan for greener pastures. Indeed, it was prayers answered as he settled comfortably, got married and had two children. Everything went on fine until he made an ill-fated trip to Atlanta Georgia in the United States (US) on the invitation of a friend for the purpose of buying cars to sell.

He honoured the Invite and under two months in Georgia, he ended up in jail, facing life sentences over the allegation of rape, an offence he continues to deny. Currently, he is serving three life sentences plus 76 years in a US prison for a crime the crime he claims he did not commit as the friend that invited him to the US, stood as witness against him.

‘They killed my son’

Madam Victoria said that the lack of proper legal representation marred her son’s legal battle. While seeking help for her son’s appeal, she stated that she was not aware of her son’s predicament until she received a phone call from Olutoye Atunnise, who was her son’s friend that invited him to the US, as well as his mother and one of Toye’s prophets, informing her about the arrest of her son and a demand for the sum of 20,000 dollars to get her son out of the police station but she couldn’t raise such an amount.

“I was at the MFM Camp in Lagos when I got a phone call from a man who introduced himself as Olutoye Atunnise, breaking the news of my son Olaniyi in police detention in Atlanta in a rude manner, asking me to look for money to bail him in the police station because he has committed a grievous offence. He said I should send the money to his account. I told him I don’t have such amount of money because I am a retired teacher and a widow and he said, E lo ta nkan to bani, that is, go and sell his properties. In panic, I demanded for his account in case we can get any amount. He dropped his account for me a GTB account number 0174564903 and said, if you get the money, send it to my account,” she said.

Bah entered Georgia in May and five days to his exit from Georgia after he had paid for all the cars shipment he bought, he ran into the police trouble on a case of rape after which he was allegedly abandoned by his friend who during his trial, witnessed against him. He also claims that all the cars he bought are still In the friend’s possession with the thousands of dollars in the hand of his friend.

Anike, the wife of Olaniyi Bah also affirmed that Olutoye Atunnise contacted her through her Facebook to break the news of her husband’s predicament in police detention in Atlanta Georgia and he demanded money for his release. The Japanese woman and The mother of two expressed her untold hardship since the incarceration of her husband and how she has to contend with sole responsibility of two children and her aged parents. She however vouched for the character of her husband as a loyal father and husband who can never do such an act.

On June 26, 2024, Olaniyi spoke to Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi of the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) in Ibadan, Nigeria from the Dooly Prison in Atlanta, Georgia, to narrate his plight and beg for help. And after a two-hour conversation, he was asked to put in an official request letter which he sent on July 14, 2024.

In his letter, he wrote, “My name is Adedoja Olaniyi Bah. I am a Nigerian from Ilesha, Osun State. Currently, I am serving three life sentences plus 76 years imprisonment in the Dooly State Prison in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, for a crime I did not commit. Witnessing the impactful work of your organisation, the Centre for Justice, Mercy, and Reconciliation, in Nigeria, I strongly believe that I can find justice through your organisation if you are willing to hear my plea. I hereby seek the intervention of your organisation to save my life from the depths of dungeon where my destiny has been unjustly cast through injustice.

“I reside in Tokyo, Japan, I am married to a Japanese woman Anike, a beautician and blessed with two handsome boys. I studied computer at Yabatech, I have Diploma in Computer Technology at Obafemi Awolowo University and I come from a responsible family background in Nigeria, with no criminal record with the police in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world.

“On April 2, 2017, I traveled from Tokyo to New York. After spending some time in New York with a Japanese friend, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to purchase cars through a friend who had invited me to buy auction cars for sale in Nigeria. I had known this friend for about 12 years since our time in Tokyo. I successfully bought five cars from an auction sale through my friend and I also bought a Ford Explorer from a dealership somewhere at Gwinnet County in Georgia, I was in the process of shipping the vehicles to Nigeria when trouble struck.

“On July 25, 2017, around 9:20 p.m., I was driving the Ford Explorer, I had purchased when a police cruiser pulled me over right outside Kruger parking lot for a routine traffic check. I provided the police with my international driver’s license and they stepped away to dialogue. Upon their return, they searched the car but found nothing suspicious. They then asked me to follow them to the police station, Douglas County Sheriff Department, for further questioning about the vehicle. I humbly complied and drove myself to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, even though there was no warrant nor any charges preferred against me, except for questioning about my vehicle acquisitions.

“Upon arrival at the Sheriff’s Station, I was questioned about how I bought the cars and made payments. I provided the dealership contact address and provided evidence of payment received from my family bank account in Tokyo and also evidence of payment from my Bank of America account to the dealership bank account. After no fault was found with the car purchase, the police shifted their line of questioning and informed me that a crime had occurred at the apartment complex where I lived. They mentioned that the closest surveillance footage around the area showed me. The officer asked me to share any information or individuals I may have seen, as it could assist in their investigation.

“I explained that I had recently moved to the complex less than a month ago and was not familiar with the residents or faces. Despite my attempts to clarify this, the officer continued to press me for information. Eventually, I requested to leave. However, the officer threatened to charge me with rape and other sexual offenses if I did not help them in the investigation.

“Subsequently, I was arrested and detained without any probable cause that I committed a rape crime. While en route to the police station that night, I contacted my friend Olutoye Atunnise to inform him of what was going on and where I was going. It took a week before my friend appeared at the station, and that was the first and the last time he ever visited.

“After months in police detention, I hired an attorney to represent me. In one of my attorney client visitations, as I was emphasizing my good character, telling the attorney that this was my first time in Atlanta Georgia and I just moved into that complex. I requested that he reach out to my friend Toye. However, upon checking his records, the attorney shook his head in disappointment. Then he informed me that ‘Unfortunately, Toye, whom you considered your friend, has agreed to testify for the State against you, so there is no way I can contact him.’ He then asked me, ‘Do you have anyone else who can vouch for your character?’ I replied with a no, as Toye was the only person I knew in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The truth is Toye had thousands of my money and my SUVs are in his possession, which he could have sold to secure legal services for me, but he chose not to show up. I was unaware that Toye had become a witness for the state, and I couldn’t understand why he had done so at the time. I arrived in New York on April 20, 2017, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in early May 2017. Toye’s wife picked me up at the Atlanta Airport. I stayed at Toye’s house for over a month. After some time, Toye informed me that his mother would be visiting the US and I needed to vacate the spare room. He suggested finding a hotel, but I expressed concerns about the cost. Eventually, he helped me find a more affordable rental apartment, which I moved into around mid-June.

“The arrest took place on July 25, 2017. I can confidently say that I would never stoop so low as to commit such a despicable act. The DNA evidence found in the victim’s vagina proves that it was not me that committed the crime. To my surprise, during the trial in November 2019, my friend Olutoye Atunise appeared in court to testify against my character, stating and emphasizing that he could not trust me. This revelation left me dumbfounded as the one who invited me to Georgia to come and do business denied me.

“Please note: The scientific evidence exonerated me, the video evidence exonerated me and my phone GPS proves I was not even at the scene. Throughout the trial, crucial evidence such as the video that showed the perpetrator was not produced (though all the witnesses including the victim and a police officers testified to the man shown in the video), I had the video that showed me at the same time of the crime and I was never the man the victim and her family reportedly described to the Police as shown by 911 record and during the victim interrogation at the Sheriff’s Department immediately after the crime. Additionally, my DNA results from Defense Expert were not admitted, and my phone’s GPS data, which could have placed me at different location at the time of the incident, was not presented by Defence attorney. These are evidence that could prove the mistake of identification.

“I would like to emphasize that this is a clear case of mistaken of identification by the Police and betrayal by a friend who abandoned me and pressured my mother in Nigeria and my wife in Japan for money to secure legal assistance for me. I am left questioning what I have done to deserve this treatment. Let Nigerians inquire about Olatoye Atunnise’s actions.

“I am reaching out to the Nigerian community through your organization, the Center for Justice, Mercy, and Reconciliation; I am pleading with Nigerians to seek assistance in seeking a credible private lawyer to prevent my case before the appeal court. My mother is a poor retired teacher and widow. I possess compelling evidence to prove my innocence, including DNA results and phone GPS, with records of my activities at the time of the crime.”

He added that “In 2020 two people were set free after 19 and 41 years in prison as a result of DNA Testimony. I already have the same DNA Testimony; the only thing I need is to present it to the court of law but my government lawyer did not present this evidence in the brief because she knows the exonerated value. I need a good lawyer to present my evidence before the Court of Appeal. I am pleading to good people of all kinds of human race to rise and help me out.”

The CJMR carried out Its investigations. One of the people it called was Olutoye Atunnise, who denied that Adedoja Olaniyi Bah is his friend. When asked if he ever called Olaniyi’s mother, he said he did not have her phone number and denied ever calling her.

He also emphasised that Olaniyi committed rape but was silent whether he hosted Olaniyi Bah as his guest when he came to America. However, the number on the bank account given by Olaniyi’s mother matched Atunnise’s name.

Speaking on the matter, Pastor Olujobi stated that: “We have reached out to Hon Abike Dabiri Erewa. She has advised that we should send our petition to the US Ambassador and get a good lawyer. The petition has been dispatched to the Embassy of Nigeria in New York and Atlanta Georgia.

“The Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) is making frantic effort to secure a good lawyer to represent Adedoja Olaniyi Bah in the Appeal Court. He has provided evidence such as DNA results, video footage and phone GPS records of his location at the time of alleged crime to prove his innocence and request assistance in his legal battle. We need a good private lawyer in USA who can render us a service to save this man. We require assistance from well-meaning Nigerians.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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