Speed Darlington, who has been missing for days, was confirmed to be in police custody in Abuja following an arrest prompted by a complaint from Burna Boy. Activist Deji Adeyanju confirm the incident.
Speed Darlington (Darlington Okoye), a popular Nigerian social media sensation and singer, has been arrested following a petition allegedly filed by Grammy Award-winning artist Burna Boy.
The incident, which has drawn reactions from notable figures like VeryDarkMan, has sparked outrage online. Speed Darlington’s mother, Queen Theresa, also made an emotional plea, begging for her son's release.
The Arrest and Missing Report
Speed Darlington’s disappearance initially caused a stir online when social media influencer Constance Nwogu raised concerns about his sudden absence. She noted that Speed had not posted anything online for three days, a rare occurrence for the artist who is usually very active on social media.
Later, activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju confirmed that Speed Darlington was in police custody. Adeyanju disclosed that Darlington was arrested in Lagos and transferred to Abuja based on a formal complaint by Burna Boy.
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.
Although details of the complaint were not fully revealed, it is widely speculated that the arrest is linked to a video in which Darlington questioned the authenticity of Burna Boy's Grammy win and alleged a connection between Burna Boy and American rapper Diddy.
Following news of Speed Darlington's detention, his mother, Queen Theresa, made a heart-wrenching video, pleading for her son's release. In her emotional appeal, she claimed that Burna Boy and his team had taken her son from his home and called for Nigerians to help beg for his release.
Meanwhile, Burna Boy posted cryptic messages on X (formerly Twitter), writing, "Who's missing?" and “7 is Real,” sparking further controversy about his role in Darlington's arrest.
VeryDarkMan's Criticism of Burna Boy
Among those speaking out against the arrest was social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan. He condemned Burna Boy’s actions, calling for the matter to be handled in court rather than through what he described as oppression. In a video posted online, VeryDarkMan urged Burna Boy to avoid abusing his influence and to file a legal case if he was truly offended by Speed Darlington’s comments.
VeryDarkMan emphasized that Burna Boy should not act like the oppressors in Nigeria’s political system, stating,
“Burna Boy, don’t be an oppressor. Don’t join all these big men in Nigeria and start abusing power. I don’t care what Speed Darlington said about you; it's free speech.”