The Nigerian singer Speed Darlington made his first online speech after being released from police detention.
On October 9, Darlington, also referred to as Api, was freed on bond following five days of detention by the Abuja police.
Grammy winner Burna Boy’s complaint, which claimed defamation and cyberstalking, resulted to his imprisonment.
Darlington said that the police “did me dirty” and took his phone during an Instagram live session.
He made it clear that he had no bad intentions towards Burna Boy, but he did wonder why insults could enrage a “mature person.”
The artist expressed surprise at the existence of cybercrime regulations and acknowledged not knowing about them.
“Let me just be direct, I have no beef with Burna Boy. I and Burna Boy are not quarrelling, nor are we, enemies. It is the Nigerian police that did me dirty. They are still withholding my phone at the moment, and I do not have access to it,” he said.
“Burna Boy felt like I was spoiling something for him. The amount of effort Burna Boy put into this case. I feel like I am even more successful than him.
“He pays big money to blogs to push him, but I’m way bigger than him. But you, on the outside looking in, would not see it. I am stronger than Burna Boy. Back in 2016, they used to call me gay because I usually attended events alone, and they thought I was gay.
“The same thing happened to Burna, and now he is calling the police. I’m stronger than him. I was not aware of the cybercrime law. It surprised me that such laws exist. It’s childish for someone to get upset over an insult… why would you be angry because someone insulted you?”
