‘Misbehave again, there’ll be no mercy,’ Burna Boy to Speed Darlington after release
Darlington’s arrest stemmed from a feud with Burna Boy in October 2024 after he mocked Burna Boy’s connection to Diddy, who faced FBI issues.
Burna Boy has served a warning to his controversial colleague, rapper Speed Darlington, who was released on Tuesday evening after a two-month prolonged detention.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Darlington was arrested and detained by the police after accusing Burna Boy of allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with embattled American rapper and music executive Diddy. Despite being granted bail weeks earlier, he was only released on Tuesday.
Reacting to the news, Burna Boy said: “If you misbehave again, you’ll go back to where you came from! And this time around, there will be no mercy! Don’t mess with ODG (Odogwu- Burna nickname),” the singer stated in an Instagram story on Tuesday night.
Darlington’s lawyer, Stanley Alieke, confirmed his release via Instagram, sharing photos of the singer spotting a new look.
He wrote: “Delighted to announce that our client, Mr Darlington Achakpo, aka Speed Darlington (Akpi), has regained his freedom after two months of illegal incarceration. For the record, as his legal team, we will be exploring all legal avenues to ensure that he receives justice for violating his fundamental human rights by the Nigerian Police Force and for the unfair treatment he was subjected to.”
Mr Alieke further stressed their commitment to securing justice for Darlington regarding the infringement of his rights.
Background
Darlington’s arrest stemmed from a feud with Burna Boy in October 2024 after he mocked Burna Boy’s connection to Diddy, who faced FBI issues. This led to a diss track, Baby Oil, which gained popularity on Spotify Nigeria.
The conflict grew when Darlington demanded an apology from Burna Boy’s mother and ₦12 million. He was subsequently arrested on 27 November 2024 during a performance in Owerri. After almost a month in detention, the court, on 23 December 2024, ordered his release or court appearance within 48 hours. However, his legal team alleged that the police defied the order, leaving the rapper to spend the festive season into the new year in detention.
At a hearing on 6 January, the court again ordered his release and allowed his lawyer to act as surety. However, efforts to meet bail conditions on 7 January were reportedly blocked by the police.
On 15 January, the court granted him bail at ₦20 million, requiring a Level 10 civil servant as surety. He was also asked to submit his passport and photographs and remain in Kuje prison until the bail conditions were met. His trial was scheduled for 18 March.
Separately, Darlington filed a ₦300 million lawsuit against the Inspector-General of Police for violating his rights. The Federal High Court in Abuja postponed the case to 27 January after the IGP’s lawyer requested more time to review new evidence.
