Nigerian entertainer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has responded defiantly after the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) declared him wanted for alleged offences including rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking.
In a video shared online via YouTube on Monday, following the agency’s declaration, the controversial musician insisted he had committed no crime and dismissed the allegations as baseless.
‘I’m not coming. You hear me? I’m not coming. I have not committed any crime. All I did was speak’, he said.
Okoye accused NAPTIP of using him to gain ‘social media clout’, questioning the basis for the agency’s action.
‘Where is your evidence? Who is the complainant? You want to use me to collect social media clout? Hey, look at us. We are doing our job. We summoned a celebrity and he came’, he said.
He went on to describe the invitation as an attempt at psychological manipulation and demanded payment if the agency wanted him to appear.
‘2.5 million is what I charge for my appearance. You want to pay me 2.5 million plus? Round trip tickets for me and my PA to come. Because I call that appearance’, he added.
Referring to his controversial Instagram livestream, Okoye maintained that there was no evidence against him.
‘There is no crime. All I did was try to claim it. You have no evidence. You have nothing. So me coming here is a waste of my time’, he said.
NAPTIP had on Friday declared Okoye wanted through an official post on its Instagram handle, urging anyone with credible information on his whereabouts to contact the agency.
‘Darlington Okoye, aka Speed Darlington, is wanted in connection with alleged offences including rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking’, the notice read.
The move followed Okoye’s failure to honour multiple summons by the agency after a viral video surfaced in which he claimed to have had sex with a 15-year-old girl.
The incident, which occurred during a livestream on Children’s Day, triggered widespread outrage and drew the attention of women’s rights groups and the Lagos State government.
In response to the backlash, NAPTIP sent a formal invitation to Okoye on 28 May, requesting that he appear at its headquarters in Abuja on 30 May.
The singer, however, declined, citing prior commitments, and proposed a new date of 26 June. NAPTIP rejected the postponement and issued a final deadline of 2 June for his appearance—one he again failed to meet.
‘The issue at hand is of urgent national importance and requires an urgent response’, a letter from the agency stated, stressing that failure to cooperate could result in legal consequences.
In a series of posts following the incident, Okoye claimed the video was a prank and part of a publicity stunt to promote his music.
‘I need controversy to eat’, he stated. However, critics argued that trivialising child sexual abuse, even as a joke, is harmful and unacceptable.
Despite claiming it was all for publicity, NAPTIP maintained that the statements, if substantiated, could constitute violations of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 and the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the entertainer has fled the country as he had posted a video of himself stating that he ‘has left Lagos girls for New York girls’.
