Speed Darlington, a Nigerian artist, has apologised to his followers following the outrage from a viral video in which he appeared to admit to sleeping with a 15-year-old virgin girl.
The artist detailed in disturbing detail a ten-year-old interaction with a teenage girl in the original video, which has since been widely denounced on social media. This caused immediate outrage and prompted calls for judicial action.
However, Speed Darlington asserted in a follow-up video on his Instagram page on Wednesday that the widely shared story was only a publicity gimmick designed to promote his most recent album.
He also apologised to his fans and anyone who found the video offensive.
‘’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.
“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.” he said.
See video below:
I’m An Artist. We Need Controversy. It Is How We Eat. You Are Not Getting Booked If You Are Not Trending – Speed Darlington Puts Out An Apology To His Fans After A Video Of Him Admitting He Slept With A 15-year-old Went Viral.#burkinafaso #nelly #tayetaiwo #speeddarlington… pic.twitter.com/bQqEFxDZCS
— NewsClick Nigeria Media (@NewsClickng) May 28, 2025
NewsClick Nigeria on wednesday reported that Speed Darlington was criticised following a viral Instagram live video in which he seemingly admitted to defiling a 15-year-old girl.
The incident, which he narrated in Igbo, also prompted swift reactions from the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.