One week after, police still denying Speed Darlington bail

It’s been over a week since the police detained Nigerian rapper Speed Darlington.

His lawyer, Stan Alieke, has lamented and condemned the extended detention and denial of bail.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Darlington was arrested last week while performing at a show in Owerri, Imo State.

Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer and counsel to Darlington, accused Burna Boy, of orchestrating the rapper’s re-arrest. Mr Adeyanju alleged that Burna Boy was leveraging law enforcement to oppress the rapper while publicly presenting himself as a human rights advocate.

On his Instagram Story on Wednesday, Mr Alieke lamented their plight

He wrote, “Today marks exactly one week since my client, Mr Darlington Achakpo, also known as Speed Darlington, was re-arrested and detained by the @nigeriapoliceforce. He has been in custody ever since. The police should not violate his constitutional rights while purportedly enforcing someone else’s rights. He is entitled to bail and should be granted the same.”

Power misuse

Mr Adeyanju, during a live session with Daddy Freeze on Thursday, also criticised his client’s arrest, calling it a “blatant abuse of power.”

The lawyer highlighted how influential individuals misuse law enforcement to settle personal disputes.

He condemned this practice as a form of “jungle justice” and stressed that public figures should expect criticism and mockery as part of their fame. Instead of involving the police, he argued that legal channels should be used to address issues like defamation.

Referring to Darlington’s previous arrest, Mr Adeyanju said: “The first time Speed was arrested, he was detained for four days. They arrested him in Lagos, held him for four days, and then transferred him to Abuja. Now, they’ve gone to Owerri to arrest him and taken him to Abuja again—all because of the ego of someone claiming to be the ‘Fela of Ojuelegba.’”

Background

This is not the first time Speed Darlington has found himself in legal trouble involving Burna Boy. Speed Darlington was first arrested in October for allegedly cyberstalking Burna Boy.

The dispute escalated when Speed Darlington mocked Burna Boy’s association with American rapper Diddy Combs, who had been arrested on multiple charges, including human trafficking and sexual exploitation and questioned the legitimacy of his Grammy win.

This newspaper reported that the rapper was further detained in Abuja following a formal complaint reportedly filed by Burna Boy. His mother then publicly cried out and pleaded with Burna Boy to release her only son. He was eventually released on bail after spending five days in custody.

Despite his release on bail, Speed Darlington continued to provoke Burna Boy on social media, holding various live sessions. In one video, he demanded a public apology from Burna Boy’s mother and financial compensation.

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“If you want this issue to end, call your mummy to come on television and beg me, just as my mother kneeled to beg you. Also, pay me N12 million, and I’ll stop dragging you,” he said.

Not long after his release, the rapper dropped a diss track titled ‘Baby Oil,’ taking shots at the EFCC, P. Diddy, and Burna Boy. In the song, he claimed to be better than Burna Boy, stating that the arrests and intimidation were the singer’s only tactics and wouldn’t stop him.

Darlington added that if Burna Boy had a clear conscience, he wouldn’t fear any accusations. The track later made it to Spotify Nigeria’s top 100.