October 28, (THEWILL) – Singer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, says he has no feud with the Afrobeats star, Damini Ogulu aka Burna Boy but alleged that the latter facilitated his arrest by the police. He also said he was treated unfairly by the Nigerian police. The singer also known as Akpi, was arrested on 4 October, following the release of a contentious video in which he allegedly mocked Burna Boy’s association with American rapper Diddy, who has faced legal issues with the FBI over charges of sexual exploitation. The 39-year-old was arrested over allegations of“defamation and cyberstalking of Burna Boy but was released on bail on 8 October. Breaking his silence since his arrest, the singer addressed his fans for the first time.
“Let me just be direct, I have no beef with Burna Boy. Me and Burna Boy are not quarrelling, nor are we enemies. It is the Nigerian Police that did me dirty. They are still withholding my phone at the moment, and I do not have access to it,” he said.
Darlington claimed that the Afrobeats star saw him as a threat and went to great lengths to have him arrested. He said he believes he is more successful than Burna Boy, saying that while the Afrobeats star spends large sums on blogs to enhance his image, he (Darlington) possesses a natural influence.
“He [Burna Boy] felt like I was spoiling something for him. The amount of effort Burna Boy put into this case…the amount of effort he put in to have his balls…I feel like I’m even more made and successful than him. He pays big money to blogs to push him, but I’m way bigger than him. But you (viewers), on the outside looking in, won’t see it. I’m stronger than Burna Boy. Back 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’s calling the police. I’m stronger than him.”
Speaking further about the allegation of cyberstalking levelled against him, Darlington said, “I wasn’t aware of the cybercrime law. It surprised me that such laws exist. It’s childish for someone to get upset over an insult. If you’re a mature person, why would you be angry because someone insulted you?”
Darlington also alleged that while in custody, the police attempted to get him to write a second statement about the comments of pro-separatists online against his arrest.
“The police tried to make me write a second statement after I had already written the first one. They wanted me to comment on pro-IPOB members who were posting about my arrest online. I told them, ‘Why should I write about that when they’ve already taken my phone, and I’ve been with them the whole time?’ It’s not my responsibility for what others post online. I want to thank Sowore, who got me the lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, to advocate and represent me for my release. I also want to thank everyone who stood by me and my fans who tweeted about my arrest.”
In a pre-live post, Darlington defiantly stated that he had survived ground zero and questioned what more Burna Boy could do to him.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
