A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to detained singer Darlington Achakpo, widely known as Speed Darlington, on Wednesday. The bail was set at N20 million with one surety in the same amount.
Justice Ekerete Akpan ruled on the bail application submitted by the singer’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, after Speed Darlington pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge related to alleged cybercrime.
The judge stipulated that the surety must be a Level 10 civil servant residing in Abuja. Additionally, the surety must file an affidavit of means, and their address must be verified by the court registrar. The surety should either work for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) or hold a federal position.
Justice Akpan further required the surety to submit letters of appointment and their latest promotion, which must also be verified by the court’s deputy chief registrar. Both Speed Darlington and the surety were directed to deposit two recent passport photographs each with the registrar. The judge also instructed Speed Darlington to surrender his international passport.
Pending fulfillment of these conditions, the court ordered Speed Darlington to remain in custody at Kuje Correctional Centre. The case was adjourned to March 18 for trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Inspector-General of Police had charged Speed Darlington with cybercrime under an amended charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/556/2024.
In the charge, he was accused of transmitting a message via his Instagram handle, @20takeoffs, which stated: “Burna Boy, how many oil Diddy drop for your ny*sh before them give you that Grammy,” and “Speed Darlington is such a clown infamaooo…” The message allegedly went viral, being viewed and read widely in Abuja, Lagos, and internationally.
The prosecution alleged that the publication was knowingly false and aimed to cause annoyance, insult, injury, enmity, or hatred among Burna Boy’s fans. It was further claimed that the communication posed “inconvenience, danger, needless anxiety” to Burna Boy and damaged his reputation. These actions allegedly violated Section 24(1)(a&(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
In the second count, Speed Darlington was accused of posting another message via his Instagram handle: “Talking about Burna Boy, Odugwu is my language. I am Odugwu, Odogwu is not a nickname, Odigwu is a masquerade name. If you are a G, come my side, come Orlu Road, Imo State. No fit where I pass, and where I pass, army no dey passam. You are a culture vulture, you are not one of us…” This message was also shared on Instagram pages such as Instablog9ja, Instablog9jamedia, and published by Benny@benny 7gg.
The prosecution alleged that this message intimidated, bullied, and harassed Burna Boy, causing him fear of death, violence, or bodily harm. These actions allegedly violated Section 24(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
During the hearing, the prosecution lawyer, Garba Audu, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for arraignment. He asked the court to read the amended two-count charge dated Dec. 4, 2024, and filed on Dec. 5, 2024, to the defendant. Audu also requested to replace the earlier charge dated Oct. 18, 2024, and filed on Oct. 21, 2024. This request was not opposed by Abubakar, Speed Darlington’s lawyer.
After the registrar read the charges, Speed Darlington pleaded not guilty. Audu then requested a trial date to present witnesses, stating, “In view of the denial of the allegations by the defendant, I will be asking for a trial date to present our witnesses in court, my lord.”
In response, Abubakar brought the court’s attention to their bail application dated and filed on Dec. 6, 2024. He noted that the prosecution was served with the motion the same day it was filed and urged the court to grant bail to his client on liberal terms.
Although Audu opposed the bail application, Justice Akpan granted Speed Darlington bail under the outlined conditions.
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