…Speed Darlington Apologises, Says ‘I Need Controversy to Eat’
Controversial Nigerian artiste, Darlington Okoye, famously known as Speed Darlington, has found himself in the eye of a storm, facing widespread condemnation and a full-blown investigation by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), following a disturbing video where he appeared to confess to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
The musician, notorious for his outlandish antics, sparked nationwide outrage earlier this week during an Instagram Live session. In the now-viral video, he was seen seemingly admitting to having sex with an underage girl, going as far as to mock hotel workers who had to clean a blood-stained bedsheet after the alleged incident.
“Before they could come change the sheets for me, I had to give them ₦2,000 because the thing, owe ka odi (it is somehow),” Darlington brazenly stated.
He then proceeded to brag, “You’ll now tell a man to come and clean blood that I removed from a 15-year-old child. I can never work for anyone. I’ll come and work in a hotel; someone will now tell me to wash the bed sheet with blood.”
The gravity of Darlington’s alleged confession did not escape the notice of relevant authorities. The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) wasted no time in escalating the matter.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the DSVA acknowledged being “aware of the disturbing video currently circulating online, in which a popular entertainer allegedly admits to engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor.”
While the DSVA clarified that its jurisdiction is limited to Lagos State and Speed Darlington did not specify the location of the alleged incident, the agency stressed its commitment to justice. As such, they formally referred the case to NAPTIP for further investigation.
NAPTIP confirmed on Wednesday that its Cybercrime Response Team has swung into action, commencing investigations into the viral video and other related content attributed to the singer.
In a statement posted on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the agency reiterated its stance: “We at NAPTIP are committed to a world where children are safe and free from all forms of violence.”
However, Speed Darlington released a follow-up video on Wednesday, attempting to douse the flames. In this new footage, he claimed that his earlier confession was nothing more than a “publicity stunt” designed to promote his latest music release.
“All my followers pissed off about the video I recorded in which I spoke about me sleeping with a 15-year-old, I am an artist. I need controversy to eat. If you are not trending, you are not getting booked. Simple! Nobody is booking something that is not trending,” he stated, seemingly unbothered by the gravity of his initial “confession.”
He continued, “I have a new song now. The song is talking about f#ck this, f#ck that. This is my genre. I do not perform Christian music. When I dropped my song, I needed f#ck contents to push it. That is what I was doing. Don’t give it more like than it is supposed to have. If any of you are offended, it’s alright. Apologies.”
Despite his apology and attempt to pass it off as a publicity stunt, the current investigation by NAPTIP suggests that this matter is far from over.
It is important to note that the Nigerian Child Rights Act 2003 explicitly prohibits sexual activity with anyone below the age of 18.
Section 31 of the Act is particularly clear, stating that: “(1) No person shall have sexual intercourse with a child. (2) A person who contravenes the provision of subsection (1) of this section commits an offence of rape and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life. (2) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section, it is immaterial that: the offender believed the person to be of or above the age of eighteen years, or the sexual intercourse was with the consent of the child.”
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