Photos: Nigerian man acquitted twice of abuse and murder charges in the US may get $80k settlement

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Clark County, Nevada commissioners are set to award an $80,000 settlement to a Nigerian man who risked losing his parental rights despite being acquitted of abuse and murder charges in the death of a 2-year-old boy, Las Vegas Review Journal reports on March 2nd.

Victor Fakoya, 49, was tried and acquitted twice for the death of Daniel Jaiyesimi, the son of family friends living with Fakoya, his wife and two daughters.
Fakoya was the only adult known to be home with the boy when he became unresponsive on Aug. 8, 2008. The exact cause of the boy’s death was not determined.

Fakoya, who was a political science professor in Nigeria, spent two years in the Clark County jail. His first trial ended in a hung jury, and the second ended with a jury acquitting him of all charges in December 2010.

But Fakoya was not allowed to return to his wife and two daughters because five days after his acquittal the District Attorney’s Office claimed in family court that Fakoya was a danger to his two daughters.

In May 2011 that a family court hearing master allowed Fakoya to move back into his Las Vegas home. First, Fakoya had to plead no contest to not calling 911 in a timely manner.

Fakoya filed a civil rights lawsuit against the county in federal court in late 2012, demanding $10 million in damages for keeping him separated from his family for five months after a jury found him not guilty.

“Victor’s dream of coming to America, furthering his education and providing a better lifestyle for his family has been shattered by the agencies entrusted with preserving the family unit and protecting the community,” his complaint stated.  

"This ordeal has financially destroyed the Fakoya family and left emotional scars that will never fully heal."

The lawsuit alleges that members of Child Protective Services tried to coerce Fakoya into admitting he caused the child's death and that the ordeal has left "emotional scars that will never fully heal."
County commissioners will consider approving the pretrial settlement during the consent agenda portion of their regular meeting on Tuesday morning, March 7th.