Nigerian singer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has sought an out-of-court settlement with Grammy-winning musician, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, appealing to him to withdraw the charges against him.
He made the appeal in an apology video, acknowledging that his previous remarks may have caused Burna Boy emotional distress and embarrassment, while expressing regret over their prolonged disagreement.
Speed Darlington, on Thursday, promised to stop making direct or indirect comments about Burna Boy’s sexuality or mentioning his name if the charges against him were withdrawn.
He apologised for his remarks, admitting that he had wrongly assumed that everyone shared the same temperament. He also pledged to refrain from further comments about the singer, saying he wanted peace to reign between them.
“I made the mistake of thinking that everybody vibrates at the same frequency, that’s wrong of me. I apologize. I give you my word that if you withdraw all charges and let everything die, I will never make any direct or indirect comment regarding your sexuality”. He said
The dispute between the entertainers escalated in October 2024 after Speed Darlington released videos questioning Burna Boy’s Grammy Award win for his album, Twice as Tall, and making insinuations about his relationship with American music executive, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Burna Boy subsequently petitioned the police over alleged defamation and cyberstalking, leading to Speed Darlington’s arrest in Lagos on October 4, 2024. He was later transferred to Abuja and released on October 9.
During the controversy, Speed Darlington’s lawyer, Stan Alieke, publicly apologised to Burna Boy, explaining that the videos were intended for entertainment and not to damage the singer’s reputation. However, Speed Darlington later disowned the apology, alleging that his lawyer had advised him to make it to facilitate the recovery of his seized phone.
The dispute resurfaced in November 2024 when Speed Darlington was arrested again while performing at a show in Owerri, Imo State. His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, criticised the arrest, accusing Burna Boy of using the police to intimidate his client. The singer remained in detention for several weeks before being arraigned and granted bail in January 2025.
Despite his release, Speed Darlington continued making public remarks and releasing diss material directed at Burna Boy. His latest apology marks another attempt to resolve the dispute, although his promise to refrain from further comments is dependent on the withdrawal of the charges against him.