BurnaBoy: Finally, Speed Darlington granted bail after month-long detention

After spending nearly a month in police detention, controversial singer Speed Darlington has finally been granted bail.

Premium Times reported that the singer was arrested on 27 November on allegations of cyberstalking Grammy Award winner Burna Boy.

His lawyers, Deji Adeyanju and Mr Alieke, have consistently decried what they described as “unjustifiable detention” since his arrest.

On Monday, His lawyer, Stanley Alieke, took to Instagram to share the news, posting, “The court has granted Apki bail,”

Speaking to Premium Times, Mr Alieke confirmed that the bail was unconditional and that Darlington would be released on Monday.

“These are not conditional bail terms. He has been in detention since 27 November, and his health has deteriorated. The court listened to our plea and granted him bail,” He explained.

He clarified that perfecting the bail process involves serving the court’s ruling to the relevant parties, including the police, who must then transmit it to the investigating officer or department handling the case. “Once this is done, he will be released,”.

Earlier Monday, Darlington’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, posted on X that the singer would be arraigned within 48 hours or released on bail.

“Our FREP application for Speed Darlington, a.k.a, has been granted by the court. He is to be arraigned within 48 hours or released. Issues around injustice may take time, but justice will always prevail,” he wrote.

Mr Alieke, however, clarified that Speed Darlington was not arraigned in court.

“The court has already given the order for Speed to be released within 48 hours,” he said.

Background

The legal dispute stems from Speed Darlington’s October 2024 arrest for allegedly cyberstalking Burna Boy. The feud began when Darlington mocked Burna Boy’s association with American rapper Diddy, whose legal troubles with the FBI had made headlines.

Darlington escalated tensions with a diss track titled Baby Oil, which ridiculed Burna Boy and gained traction on Spotify Nigeria’s Top 100. Despite being granted bail in October, Darlington resumed public criticisms of Burna Boy, demanding an apology from his mother and N12 million in compensation.

His subsequent arrest occurred on 27 November during a performance in Owerri, Imo State. Darlington’s legal team maintains that Burna Boy instigated the arrest and argues that the defamation charges fall outside the police’s jurisdiction.