If found guilty of the rape allegations levelled against him after a trial, Timaya faces at least 8 years in jail. Photo: Instagram Nigerian singer, Timaya is the subject of a rape allegation. The accuser, identified as Shella B, kicked off the saga on Friday, July 24 by dedicating an Instagram account to ‘exposing’ the popular Nigerian act. Tagged exposingtherealtimaya, Shella accused the Bayelsa State-born singer of sexually assaulting her during his time in Atlanta on July 18, 2015.
Timaya faces between 2 and 14 years in jail if found guilty at the end of a fair trial. Commenting on the matter, a legal practitioner, Efe Ugboro, said the process of filing the case and investigation is almost the same expect that the US legal system is more thorough and the law is enforced on stronger terms.
Citing Sections 357 and 358 of the Nigerian criminal Code, she said ‘any offence that has to do with rape, once established, carries a jail term of between 2 and 14 years.’
Dwelling on the relevant part of the Nigerian law, she states further: ‘The Section 357 and 358 of the Criminal Code Cap “C38”, Laws of the Federation, 2004, states: ‘In plain language, a person has committed rape when he has sexual relations (carnal knowledge) with a woman against her will.’
In addition, a website, www.sexoffenderattorney.com focuses on the interpretation of the law in the United States, hinting of a jail term of nothing less than 8 years.
‘Across the United States, the average prison time for rape is between 8 and 9 years’ but it remains to be seen how the case will go in the weeks and months ahead.