Yinka Ayefele has addressed allegations of copyright infringement levelled by folk singer Beautiful Nubia.
The dispute emerged last week when Beautiful Nubia accused Ayefele and fellow artiste Bakare Boluwatife Oluwatobi (BBO) of using the melody from his 1997 hit “Seven Lifes” without proper credit.
He specifically referenced Ayefele’s 2012 song “My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti)” and BBO’s 2026 track “Amin,” claiming both tracks borrowed from his original work.
Nubia suggested that this reflects a wider issue in the Nigerian gospel music scene, where artists allegedly appropriate the works of others without acknowledgment.
“There was Yinka Ayefele with “My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti)” in 2012 and now someone called BBO with “Amin” this year. Both stole their melodies from our original song “Seven Lifes”,” he wrote on X.
“When will Nigerians (especially the so-called gospel musicians) learn to respect copyright?”
Taking to social media, Yinka Ayefele rejected the allegations. In a now-deleted post, the veteran singer questioned the legitimacy of the claim and challenged Beautiful Nubia to clarify the origins of the contested piece.
“WHO IS THE COMPOSER OF EBAMI GBONDO YI GBE ..JANGBALAJUGBU …. Who was acknowledged.. INFRINGEMENT AYE..,” he wrote.
At the time of filing this report, Bakare Boluwatife Oluwatobi (BBO) has not publicly responded to the accusations.