Outspoken Nigerian singer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, says he has no conflict with Afrobeats star Burna Boy but alleged that the latter facilitated his arrest by the police. He also said he was treated unfairly by the Nigerian police.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the singer, also known as Akpi, was arrested on October 4, following the release of a controversial video in which he allegedly mocked Burna Boy's association with American rapper Diddy, who has faced legal trouble with the FBI on sexual abuse charges. exploitation.
Darlington, 39, was arrested on allegations of “defamation and cyber harassment” of Burna Boy, but was released on bail on October 8.
Breaking his silence since his arrest, the singer addressed his fans for the first time during an Instagram Live session on Tuesday.
Without meat
During the live session, Darlington sought to clarify what happened between him and the “Last Last” hitmaker.
“Let me be direct, I have no problem with Burna Boy. Burna Boy and I are not fighting nor are we enemies. It is the Nigerian police that did me dirty. “They're still holding my phone right now and I don't have access to it,” he said.
Commenting further on the alleged tension with Burna Boy, Darlington claimed that the Afrobeats star saw him as a “threat” and went out of his way to arrest him.
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He said he believes he is more successful than Burna Boy and that while the Afrobeats star spends huge sums of money on blogs to boost his image, he (Darlington) has a natural influence.
“He [Burna Boy] I felt like I was spoiling something for him. The amount of effort Burna Boy put into this case… the amount of effort he put into getting his balls… I feel like I am even more made and successful than him. He pays a lot of money to blogs to promote him, but I'm much bigger than him.
“But you (the spectators), who look from the outside, will not see it. I am stronger than Burna Boy. In 2016, they used to call me gay because I usually attended events alone and they thought I was gay. The same thing happened to Burna and now he is calling the police. “I am stronger than him.”
Unaware of the offense
Speaking further about the cyberbullying allegation leveled against him, Darlington said: “I didn't know the cybercrime law. I was surprised that such laws exist. It's childish for someone to get upset over an insult. If you are a mature person, why would you get angry because someone insulted you?
Statement to the police
The 39-year-old singer also alleged that while he was in custody, police tried to get him to write a second statement regarding online separatists' comments against his arrest.
“The police tried to force me to write a second statement after I had written the first. They wanted me to comment on pro-IPOB members posting online about my arrest.
“I told them, 'Why should I write about that when they already took my phone away and I've been with them the whole time?' It is not my responsibility for what others post online.
“I want to thank Sowore who got me the lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, to defend me and represent me on my release. “I also want to thank everyone who supported me and my fans who tweeted about my arrest.”
When fans asked why she wasn't using her main account, Darlington explained that a deputy police commissioner still has her phone and is pushing for it back. He used his backup account, “20takeoffs”, instead of his main account “SpeedDarlingtonTv” for the live session.
Before the session, checks by this newspaper show that Darlington made a post about “baby oil,” which many took as a reference to Diddy. In the pre-live post, Darlington defiantly declared that he had survived “ground zero” and questioned what else Burna Boy could do to him.
READ ALSO: Burna Boy: Speed Darlington released on bail after five days of detention Background
Fans became aware of Speed Darlington's situation after his mother shared a viral video accusing Burna Boy of orchestrating her son's arrest through a video he posted online.
In the allegedly “defamatory” video, Darlington questioned how Burna Boy got his Grammy Award for his 2020 album Twice As Tall, produced by Diddy and Burna Boy's mother, Bose Ogulu.
Darlington said: “It wasn't long after Burna Boy posted a photo with Diddy that won the Grammy. Just wondering, Burna Boy, I'm asking you a question. No hassle. How much oil did Diddy pour on you before they gave you the trophy? Burna Boy, tell the truth.”
Amid concerns over Darlington's whereabouts, Burna Boy fueled speculation with a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter): “Who's missing?”
The post sparked widespread debate with many assuming that Burna Boy was involved in Darlington's arrest. As of press time, Burna Boy has yet to address the allegations.
According to lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju, Speed Darlington was arrested in Lagos and later transferred to Abuja. Adeyanju confirmed that the petition that led to Darlington's arrest was filed by Burna Boy.
After several days in custody, Darlington was released following the intervention of Mr Adeyanju. The lawyer helped him comply with bail conditions imposed by the police at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) department in Abuja.
Darlington is popular for his work as an artist and rapper, with several songs to his name, including “Greatest Tank Battle,” “My Party,” “Hustle Hard,” and “Let's Dance.”