•Darlington Okoye a.k.a. Speed Darlington
Nigerian entertainer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has dismissed allegations against him, saying that he will not honour a summons from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
He also said his appearance fee, as an entertainer, is ₦2.5 million, reports Channels TV.
In a video posted on his Instagram page yesterday, the singer insisted he had committed no crime, described the allegations as baseless, and accused the agency of seeking social media attention.
“This video I am making is for NAPTIP. You people should pay attention. All these wanted posters you people posted all around, you all need to take that (summon posts) down.
“I’m not coming. You hear me? I’m not coming. I have not committed any crime. All I did was speak. Irresponsible is not a crime,” Okoye said.
The 41-year-old singer accused NAPTIP of trying to use him for social media attention, questioning the agency’s motives and demanding evidence of any wrongdoing.
“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.
The ‘Baby Oil’ crooner further described the agency’s invitation as a psychological ploy, stating he would only appear if paid his standard appearance fee.
“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 where he appeared to confess to sleeping with a 15-year-old girl, Speed Darlington maintained there was no evidence against him and dismissed the uproar as unjustified.
“There is no crime. All I did was try to claim it. You have no evidence. So, me coming here is a waste of my time… Which one is cyberstalking? Who did I stalk? Did I post or bully or call anyone names in the video?”
He also criticised women tagging NAPTIP to take action, accusing them of “hating on him”, and warned that he would sue the agency for defamation if his name was not cleared.
“You have no evidence against me,” he insisted.
Allegations, Summons
NAPTIP had declared Okoye wanted last Friday via its official Instagram handle, urging the public to report any information on his whereabouts.
“Darlington Okoye, a.k.a. Speed Darlington, is wanted in connection with alleged offences including rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking,” the agency said.
The declaration followed Okoye’s failure to honour multiple summons from the agency after his viral Children’s Day livestream triggered public outrage and concern from women’s rights groups. The Lagos State government also reported the incident to NAPTIP.
The agency first summoned him on May 28 to appear in Abuja on May 30. He declined and proposed June 26 instead. NAPTIP rejected the new date, citing the urgency of the matter, and gave a final deadline of June 2 — also ignored by the singer.
“The issue at hand is of urgent national importance and requires an urgent response,” the agency said in a letter, warning of possible legal consequences for non-compliance.
Although Okoye later claimed the video was a prank aimed at promoting his music, critics said trivialising child sexual abuse — even in jest — was unacceptable.
NAPTIP maintained that his statements, if proven true, could amount to violations under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 and the Cybercrime Act 2015.
Meanwhile, the controversial entertainer has been rumoured to be out of the country.
