Weighing in on Burna Boy, Speed Darlington Saga

Ferdinand  

To those who understands how Burna Boy reacts, it was only a matter of time for him to come after Speed Darlington, the singer and content creator who had weeks earlier taunted and questioned his affiliations with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the embattled US music mogul who is facing multiple charges of sexual exploitation and other crimes.

More than twice, Darlington’s posts targeted Burna Boy. The controversial Speed Darlington is known to post risqué comments and contents on social media, mostly deliberately targeting celebrities and the female gender. Popular artistes like Davido, Falz Wizkid and Flavour in recent times have been at the receiving end of his nasty posts.

During the week, Speed Darlington, real name Darlington Okoye, and Burna Boy became a trending topic after the former was confirmed to have been arrested following a video he made in the wake of Diddy’s troubles, suggesting sexual gratification between the Nigerian Grammy winning artiste Burna Boy and the record executive, Diddy.

Darlington, who also goes by the nickname, Akpi, had asked Burna Boy in the video to explain how he got his Grammy award for his album ‘Twice As Tall’ — a project produced by Diddy and Burna Boy’s mother, Bose Ogulu. Incidentally, Burna Boy had lyrically made reference to the same gay issue in ‘Wetin Dey Sup’, a track off the 2020 Grammy winning record.

“After Burna Boy posted a photo of him and Diddy that year, Burna won Grammy. Burna Boy, don’t be offended, but how many oils did Diddy use on you before they gave you the Grammy Award?” Darlington had asked. Provocative as it seems, and not taken lightly, Burna Boy would then file a complaint, necessitating Akpi’s arrest.

Darlington was in the late hours of Tuesday October 7, 2024 reported missing for three days, sparking widespread concern. A video also surfaced online showing an individual who looks like the singer in handcuffs. The footage fueled speculation about his whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

Hours after Speed Darlington was suspected to be missing on social media, Burna Boy posted on his X (formerly Twitter) platform a thought-provoking tweet, ‘Who’s missing?’ The tweet prompted widespread speculation, with many alleging he may be connected to the controversial singer’s disappearance.

Things took a different turn when Speed Darlington’s mother in a viral video, revealed that her son was declared missing following the contentious post about Burna Boy. And begged the singer to have mercy on her son.

She said, “Good day, Nigerians. My name is Mrs. Queen, Speed Darlington’s mother. I just got information that my son is missing. His gateman called my family and notified them that he made a video about Burna Boy on the internet, so he told them that Burna Boy came with his team and picked Speed Darlington up from his house.”

Darlington was released to lawyer Deji Adeyanju after meeting conditions stipulated by the police at the Intelligence Response Team’s Department in the Guzape area of Abuja.

According to Adeyanju, Speed Darlington was arrested in Lagos and taken to various formations in the state before he was taken to Abuja and detained by the IRT team, which accused him of cyber stalking Burna Boy.

While many were pleased with Darlington’s arrest, citing his online improprieties, hoping it serves as deterrent, a good number of others see Burna Boy as oppressive. There were also those who expressed positions concerning freedom of speech and personal responsibility to navigate conversations concerning personal and public issues.