Bendega, after perpetrating the crime, was also accused of selling his lovers’ nude videos and pictures and blackmailing them into silence whenever they got to know about his illicit action.
While most of Bendega’s ex-lovers were afraid to speak up on the issue due to stigmatisation, some of the victims shared audio conversations and screenshots of the chats when Bendega threatened them on WhatsApp with our correspondent.
One of the victims, who gave her name only as Mokogwu, while demanding justice, said she decided to speak on the matter to prevent other unsuspecting ladies from becoming victims.
She said Bendega was fond of manipulating women only to have sex with him and use a mode of operation she described as an “open blank system” to record the sexual activity or take pictures of his unclad lovers.
She said, “I had an affair with Bendega from October 2020 to September 2021. I met him when he was house hunting; we went through the process together, and I lived with him on and off till our love affair ended.
“I just knew something was up and checked his laptop which he borrowed me for a course and I found out that he was distributing and selling my nudes, and also had folders of several women he had non-consensually filmed, neatly filed and labelled on his laptop.
“He harassed and stalked me for months after I left him; he sent explicit pictures and videos of myself I never knew existed to try to shut me up.”
Another victim, while sharing her experience on social media, explained that Bendega told her he was using nude pictures and sex videos to cure his addiction to pornography and masturbation.
“I never sent any of my nudes before and I found it weird when he asked for them. But he said he enjoyed it and that he preferred I sent them to him rather than him asking. I would try to take it and send it but I would often forget. The first time we had sex, he started to record us.
“He casually placed the laptop on the chair in the hotel room and stepped out. I noticed the red light on the laptop and I closed it. He downplayed it when I confronted him after he came back to the room. I saw on the laptop that he had another recording of another girl he had had sex with.”
However, attempts by our correspondent to get a reaction from Bendega proved abortive as his mobile number had been switched off.
Also, a text message sent to the number had yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report.
Reacting to the development, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Agency, in a post using its Twitter handle, @lagosdsva, said the agency had contacted one of the victims, adding that efforts were on to address the case.
When contacted, the agency’s Executive Secretary, Titilayo Vivour-Adeniyi, who confirmed the case, said the matter had already been presented to the police and would go public once the investigation commenced.
“We are working with the police. The case has already been presented to the police station. We are in touch with one of the survivors. Once investigation commences, we will do well to inform the public about it,” she said.
