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Summary
Sampson Udo, popularly known as King Sax, has been arrested for raping two sisters in Lagos. At first, he alleged false accusations by one of the sisters and used police to intimidate her. The police reportedly sided with the perpetrator stating he was incapable of rape. Feeling empowered, Sampson raped the second sister. This time, with irrefutable evidence, the police had to act.
Popular saxophonist Sampson Udo has been arrested by the police for raping two sisters. According to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Sampson Udo, typically called “King Sax,” was invited by an acquaintance named Destiny (not real name) to an event she organised at Elegushi Beach, Lagos. Destiny had met him virtually, after which they became acquaintances. Destiny resides in Akwa Ibom. However, she was organising a show in Lagos and invited Sampson as a guest. It was at the occasion Samson had been reported to rape his host.
Destiny’s younger sister, Grace, revealed to the FIJ and police that her sister had confided in her about Samson’s sexual violence. According to Grace, Sampson Udo had called Destiny at the beach, saying he needed help locating her.
After meeting him, Destiny followed him to his parked car, where he persuaded her to join him in the backseat, claiming they should catch up since their last meeting was in January 2022 when he played his saxophone for her 25th birthday. While they were in the car’s back seat, he locked the doors, got on top of Destiny and raped her. He covered her mouth and put his weight on her.
Destiny left after the incident and sent angry messages to Sampson Udo, but she was too shocked to report it. By then, she had already returned to Akwa Ibom and kept the incident to herself. Two weeks later, she confided in her sister Grace and revealed everything that had happened. Grace confronted Sampson Udo by phone.
He claimed the act was consensual but went silent when questioned about Destiny’s behaviour afterwards. After Sampson Udo ignored further calls and messages, Grace took to social media to expose him. The post gained traction, prompting Udo to respond with a public statement, a police report, and a monetary demand.
On October 25, 2024, Sampson Udo used social media to accuse Grace of making false rape allegations. He then called Destiny, questioning why she allowed Grace to put out X’s post. Shortly after, the police summoned Grace to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lagos.
According to the FIJ, on October 30, Grace appeared at the police station, where four male officers interrogated her. She expressed discomfort with the absence of a female officer and said the policemen mocked her and her sister, questioning Udo’s capability to commit rape.
“Does this fresh boy look like someone that can rape somebody?” one of the policemen said.
Sampson Udo and his lawyer demanded that Grace pay N15 million, retract her social media post, and publish an apology in two national newspapers. While Grace agreed to delete the post, she refused the monetary demand. The police then threatened her with detention for not complying with the monetary demand.
Grace was detained for two days, with the police demanding two sureties and N1 million for bail. She secured her release by paying N450,000. On November 11, Udo reduced his demand to N7 million and threatened a lawsuit if she didn’t pay N2 million by 9 p.m. that day.
As Grace and her lawyer were leaving the station, Sampson Udo offered to give her a ride. She initially declined but agreed since her lawyer would also be in the car. After dropping off her lawyer, Udo continued driving Grace despite her request to be dropped off halfway, as she felt uncomfortable with him knowing her residence.
Sampson Udo tried to reassure Grace, suggesting he would take care of her. He took her to a restaurant and ordered alcohol, which she declined. When she attempted to leave to focus on raising N2 million to avoid the defamation lawsuit, he propositioned her for sex in exchange for the money. Grace refused and left.
The next day, Sampson Udo repeatedly called Grace, angrily threatening court action if she didn’t meet his demands in exchange for dropping the case. Under pressure and harassment from him and his lawyer, Grace went to plead with him to consider dropping the case but was assaulted and raped when she got there.
The day before, Grace recorded Sampson Udo making advances and laughing when questioned about raping her sister, suggesting he could be interested in both siblings. Hoping to gather evidence, she recorded a phone call with him on November 12. When he refused to say much, she visited him and continued recording, capturing even more disturbing events.
As Grace fought off Samson Udo, she ordered an Uber. When the driver arrived, Udo shouted at him to wait, but Grace escaped half-naked into the car and headed straight to the police. The Uber driver later provided a statement and will serve as a witness to the saxophonist’s crime.
On Thursday morning, the SCID police arrested Udo, remanded him, and returned Grace’s N450,000. Activists and lawyers, including Serah Ibrahim and Inibehe Effiong, have been monitoring the case, while Udo’s lawyer and girlfriend have reportedly sought an out-of-court settlement.
