Nigerian singer and social media personality Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has been confirmed to be in police custody in Abuja.
This revelation was made by activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, who disclosed that Speed Darlington was arrested in Lagos last Friday and later transferred to Abuja.
Adeyanju, in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, stated that the artist has been held in detention since his arrest, which followed a petition allegedly filed by Grammy-winning musician, Burna Boy.
“We just spent the last 30 minutes with Speed Darlington, and he narrated how he was arrested in Lagos last Friday, moved around, and eventually brought to Abuja.
He has been in detention since then. Petition against him was written by Burna Boy, we can confirm,” Adeyanju wrote.
Details surrounding the content of the petition remain unclear, as Adeyanju did not provide further information.
Concerns over Speed Darlington’s whereabouts first arose on Monday, when social media influencer Constance Nwogu raised an alarm about his sudden disappearance. In a message shared online, Nwogu noted that the artist had been unreachable for three days.
“It has come to our notice that our man Speeddarlington (Akpi) has been missing for three days now,” Nwogu posted on Instagram, adding that the last post on the singer’s social media page was on October 4, a notable break from his regular online activity. She also mentioned his absence from Instagram live sessions, which he frequently hosted.
While no official reason for Speed Darlington’s detention has been given, speculation has circulated that it may be linked to a video in which he allegedly questioned the legitimacy of Burna Boy’s Grammy win and made comments connecting the artist to American rapper Sean Combs (P Diddy).
Burna Boy responded cryptically on Tuesday via X, posting, “Who’s missing?” The post, which came after reports of Speed Darlington’s disappearance, has left followers wondering if the remark was directed at the detained singer.
Nwogu, meanwhile, has urged the public to provide any information that could help shed light on Speed Darlington’s situation, stating, “Please, this is important. If there is any information anybody has concerning this, please reach out to me or don’t hesitate to put it out.”
The Nigerian Police Force has yet to release an official statement on the matter.
