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 2.
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.
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 7. (Naijadailies)