Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has confirmed that popular Nigerian musician, Darlington Okoye, known as Speed Darlington, was arrested following a petition against him by his colleague, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy.
Adeyanju made the confirmation in posts on X on Tuesday when he announced that he had located Speed Darlington who was arrested on Friday and that he has taken up the rapper’s case.
It was gathered that Speed Darlington was arrested in his house in Lagos and moved to Abuja following a petition filed against him by Burna Boy after he (Speed Darlington) made a video asking Burna Boy the quantity of American rapper, Sean John “Diddy” Combs, poured on him before he won a Grammy award.
Confirming his contact with Speed Darlington, Adeyanju in X post on Tuesday said, “We have just located Speed Darlington and we are working on getting him freed. The attack of freedom of expression in Nigeria must stop.”
Condemning Burna Boy’s actions, the human rights lawyer wrote, “You can’t be singing against oppressors and still be an oppressor.”
Announcing his take over of the case, he said, “We are now involved in the Speed Darlington matter. We will do everything to get him freed.
“Nobody should be arrested by the police for expressing their views or opinions. We urge the authorities to stop the clampdown on freedom of speech in Nigeria.”
In an update on the matter, Adeyanju said, “We just spent the last 30mins with Speed Darlington and he narrated how he was arrested in Lagos Friday last week, moved around and eventually brought to Abuja and has been in detention since then. Petition against him was written by Burna Boy we can confirm.”
