Speed Darlington Sues NAPTIP For N3 Billion Over ‘Wanted’ Declaration

Controversial Nigerian singer Darlington Achakpo Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has slammed a ₦3 billion lawsuit against the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for allegedly defaming him by declaring him wanted.

The suit, filed on July 9, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja by his legal team, challenges the legality and consequences of NAPTIP’s public notice, which named him a suspect in allegations of rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking.

On June 27, NAPTIP had posted an alert via its official Instagram handle:

“WANTED BY NAPTIP. Darlington Okoye, aka Speed Darlington, is wanted in connection with alleged offences including rape, cyberbullying and cyberstalking.”

The agency urged the public to provide information on his whereabouts. This followed a video Darlington posted online in which he claimed to have had sexual relations with a minor in a hotel, a statement he later said was a joke taken out of context.

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) referred the matter to NAPTIP after receiving complaints, prompting a call for the artist to present himself for questioning. When he failed to comply, the agency escalated the matter by issuing the wanted notice.

In response, Speed Darlington’s legal team argued that:

• The declaration was unwarranted, baseless, and lacked due process.
• The publication endangered his safety, maligned his reputation, and caused emotional distress.
• His controversial comments were artistic hyperbole, not confessions of criminal activity.

He is now seeking:

• ₦3 billion in damages for defamation and emotional trauma.
• A perpetual injunction to restrain NAPTIP from enforcing or publicizing the June 27 notice.

While Darlington has apologized to those offended by the video, he maintained that controversy is a survival tool in the music industry, and his actions were part of “entertainment marketing.”

As of now, NAPTIP has not made an official response to the lawsuit. The case promises to test the boundaries between artistic expression, social responsibility, and legal accountability in Nigeria’s digital age.