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The sexual-offence case involving Nigerian dancer and entertainer Iweh Odinaka, popularly known as Poco Lee, in the United Kingdom has renewed attention on previous allegations involving prominent Nigerian entertainers.
Poco Lee’s case stands apart from most of the others because the allegations against him are currently before a foreign court.
Snaresbrook Crown Court in London confirmed that Poco Lee faces five charges: one count of attempted rape, two counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration. He is due before the court on September 15 for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing. The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that the case remains active.
Poco Lee has not been convicted and remains legally presumed innocent. His management has also urged the public not to treat the allegations as proof of guilt.
The case has now placed his name alongside a number of Nigerian entertainment figures who have previously faced allegations ranging from sexual harassment to sexual assault.
D’Banj
One of the most prominent cases involved singer Oladapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’Banj.
In 2020, Seyitan Babatayo accused the singer of raping her at a hotel in Lagos in 2018. D’Banj denied the allegation.
The Nigeria Police Force subsequently investigated the complaint after the Inspector-General of Police ordered a probe. D’Banj was questioned by investigators, while Babatayo was also invited to give a statement.
Babatayo later withdrew her petition, citing personal reasons. The police subsequently discontinued the investigation, saying investigators had been unable to establish corroborative evidence supporting the allegation.
The case did not result in a criminal conviction against D’Banj.
Baba Ijesha
Unlike the cases based solely on allegations, Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was convicted in a Nigerian court.
The Lagos State Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court convicted him in July 2022 on four of six counts relating to the sexual assault and indecent treatment of a minor.
He was sentenced to 16 years, with the terms running concurrently, meaning he was to serve five years. The court acquitted him on two counts, including sexual assault by penetration and attempted sexual assault by penetration.
In June 2024, the Court of Appeal affirmed his five-year conviction on two counts involving the minor.
His case remains one of the most significant sexual-offence cases involving a Nigerian entertainment figure because it progressed from allegation to trial and conviction.
Lancelot Imasuen
Veteran filmmaker Lancelot Imasuen was accused of sexual assault by actress Sylvia Oluchi in 2020 over an alleged incident during the production of Bent Arrows in Abuja in 2008.
Oluchi alleged that Imasuen invited her to his hotel room, where she said he pinned her down and kissed and groped her after she rejected his advances. She also said she was not raped.
Imasuen did not publicly give a detailed denial of the allegation at the time. He said the matter was being handled privately within the filmmakers’ WhatsApp group where the allegation was made and that a committee had been set up to investigate it.
His wife, Amiua Imasuen, publicly defended him and rejected the allegation.
No criminal conviction arising from the allegation has been established in the public record reviewed for this report.
Yomi Fabiyi
Actor and filmmaker Yomi Fabiyi was also accused of sexual harassment in 2017 by an Instagram user who alleged that he had demanded sex in connection with a movie role.
Fabiyi denied the allegation and described it as an attempt to blackmail him. He reported the matter to the police and subsequently initiated legal action against the woman, demanding damages.
The case is another example of how sexual-harassment allegations involving Nigerian entertainers have sometimes moved beyond social media into police complaints and legal threats.
There is no established criminal conviction against Fabiyi arising from the allegation.
Adam Zango
Kannywood actor and filmmaker Adam Zango was accused of making sexual advances towards actress Rahama Sadau in 2015.
Sadau alleged that Zango removed her from a film after she rejected his sexual advances.
The allegation generated significant controversy within the northern Nigerian film industry. Sadau later apologised for the post, describing her conduct as “childish.” Zango subsequently referred to the incident as an old controversy and did not provide a detailed public account of what happened.
The episode did not result in a publicly established criminal conviction against Zango.
Why Poco Lee’s case is different
While sexual-harassment and sexual-assault allegations involving Nigerian entertainers have surfaced several times over the years, Poco Lee’s case is unusual because it is being handled by a foreign criminal justice system.
The UK court has formally charged him with five sexual offences, and the case remains active ahead of his September 15 hearing.
That distinction is important.
D’Banj’s case ended with the withdrawal of the petition and the police discontinuing their investigation. Baba Ijesha was convicted in Nigeria and had his conviction partly upheld on appeal. The allegations involving Lancelot Imasuen, Yomi Fabiyi and Adam Zango did not result in publicly established criminal convictions.
Poco Lee’s case, meanwhile, remains unresolved.
His appearance before Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 15 will therefore be the next significant development in a case that has already drawn considerable attention in Nigeria and the UK.
For now, the allegations against him remain allegations, and the court has yet to determine his guilt or innocence.
