By Daniel Ojukwu
On October 6, Sampson Udo, a Lagos-based saxophonist known popularly as King Sax, was at Elegushi Beach to attend an event his acquaintance invited him to. While there, he lured this lady to his car and raped her. When her sister went public with it a month later, he got her arrested and then raped her as well, as confirmed by voice notes listened to by FIJ.
When 27-year-old Destiny Ameh (not real name) invited Sampson Udo to attend an event she organised at Elegushi Beach, Lagos, she had no idea he would rape her.
Ameh and Udo had met each other online a while ago, and while she would not describe him as a friend, she says she extended him an invitation to support her event which brought her from Akwa-Ibom to Lagos.
Grace, Destiny’s younger sister, told FIJ and the police that when Udo arrived at the beach on October 6, he called Destiny, saying he needed help locating her. She met him a while after, and then followed him outside the beach to where he parked. There, Udo convinced her to get into the backseat of his car, “saying they should catch up, since the last time he saw her was on January 8, 2022 when he played his saxophone for her 25th birthday”.
”While in his car, he locked the doors, got on top of Destiny and forcefully raped her. He covered her mouth and put his weight on her,” Grace said.
She said Destiny left after the incident and then sent cuss words to him when she got home, but never filed a report as she was too stunned. Two weeks later, the victim opened up to Grace, and the matter took a new turn.
”Without mentioning to me or anyone about the incident, my sister went back to Akwa-Ibom where she is based,” Grace added.
“Two weeks after the incident, she told me. I then called his number. He claimed the sex was consensual, so I asked why my sister would slam his car door if it was consensual and why she would send him those messages after. He went mute and dropped the call. I then called him multiple times after but he did not pick. I sent him WhatsApp messages, he did not reply, so I took to X to call him out.”
This callout gained some online traction and forced Udo’s hand. What followed was a public statement, police report and monetary demand.
UDO, POLICE CONSPIRE
On October 25, Udo took to his social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram to accuse Grace of falsely alleging rape.
He wrote: “My attention has been drawn to a post on Twitter(sic) by [redacted], with the username [redacted] already going viral. The post is to the effect that I had forceful carnal knowledge with someone she claims to be her sister.
”I am innocent of this accusation. The publication was made to malign and ridicule my fast growing personality and brand. I have consulted my legal team.”
Udo’s post on X
Udo then called Destiny, asking why she allowed Grace to put out the X post. Soon after, the police invited Grace to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos.
On October 30, she showed up.
“There were four male policemen interrogating me, and I felt uncomfortable,” Grace said. “I thought there would be at least one woman. Those policemen started mocking my sister and I. One said, ‘Does this fresh boy look like someone that can rape somebody?’
”Udo and his lawyer then said I must pay N15 million and retract my X post, and then publish an apology on two national dailies. I agreed to delete the post but refused the monetary demand. Then the policemen said I would be detained since I could not settle Udo monetarily.”
The police held her in detention for two days, demanded two sureties and a N1 million payment for what they described as bail. Grace managed to part with N450,000 to secure her freedom. On November 11, she returned to the station where Udo dropped his monetary demand to N7 million and threatened a lawsuit if she did not pay the first installment of N2 million before 9 pm that day.
A SECOND RAPE
When Grace and her lawyer made to leave the station, Udo offered to drop her off at her location. She said she declined, but seeing that her lawyer would be in the vehicle, she obliged.
”He dropped my lawyer off first, and then began taking me through my route when I told him to drop me halfway as I was not comfortable with him knowing where I lived,” Grace continued.
She said he asked her to be comfortable and said he would take care of her.
”He then drove to a restaurant and ordered alcohol but I declined. Soon after, I asked to leave as I needed to raise N2 million before the day ended to avoid a defamation lawsuit, but before I could get into the Uber I ordered, he asked me to give him my body in exchange for the money. I left.
”The next day, he sent his address and kept calling my phone, so I finally picked. He sounded angry, said I was not serious and he was going to take me to court if I didn’t give him what he wanted in exchange for his withdrawal of the case. His lawyer was also calling and harassing me. I then thought to see him to beg so he could consider dropping the case, but when I got there, he pounced on me, ripped my gown apart and raped me.”
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THE RECORDINGS THAT. WILL SEND SAX TO JAIL
The day before, Grace made a phone recording of Udo making advances to her, and when she asked why he was approaching her after raping her sister, he laughed and said he could be interested in sisters.
Believing she could obtain evidence by speaking with him, she again recorded the call they both had on the morning of November 12. When he refused to say much on the phone, she visited him and began recording. What her device would capture was more horror than had already happened.
FIJ listened to both audios but cannot publish them due to their mental horror content.
As she fought him off, she ordered an Uber, and when the driver called, Udo yelled at him to wait. This Uber driver would later serve as a witness to the saxophonist’s crime.
“I ran out half naked and into the vehicle so the driver could take me straight to the police,” Grace told FIJ. “The Uber driver gave a statement, too and relayed all that he witnessed.”
On Thursday morning, the SCID police arrested Udo and have remanded him pending when they would charge the matter to court. The police also returned Grace’s N450,000.
Meanwhile, FIJ learnt from Serah Ibrahim, an activist, that Udo’s lawyer and girlfriend have been soliciting an out-of-court settlement since the police arrested him.
Ibrahim and Inibehe Effiong; a lawyer, and others had been following the case closely since Grace was first arrested.
© Foundation for Investigative Journalism
