Deji Adeyanju, the lawyer representing singer, Darlington Okoye, also known as Speed Darlington, has expressed strong disapproval over his client’s re-arrest, describing it as unnecessary.
Giving his take in an interview with Saturday Beats, the renowned lawyer said, “This is the second time Burna Boy has used the police to oppress Speed Darlington on the grounds that he defamed him. In the first instance, he was arrested in Lagos and taken to Abuja, and this time, he was abducted in Owerri and spent 24 hours in detention at Burna Boy’s request for defamation. This is very unnecessary, and he (Burna Boy) should do things the proper way.”
Adeyanju revealed that while he was not involved in the previous arrest, his current objective was to secure assurances from Burna Boy regarding Speed Darlington’s safety.
“We wanted to extract a commitment from Burna Boy that he would not harm Darlington in any way, as he has issued a coded threat online,” Adeyanju noted.
He further criticised the police’s actions, asserting that they were being manipulated as tools for oppression.
“The police are being used as tools to oppress him. They are violating his rights because they kept him for four days. He was eventually released on bail, but they refused to hand him over to me yesterday, claiming they have filed charges. All these extrajudicial means to massage Burna Boy’s ego are a clear violation of Darlington’s rights.”
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