Speed Darlington Apologises to Burna Boy, Begs Singer to Withdraw Legal Charges

Nigerian singer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has publicly apologised to Grammy Award-winning musician, Damini Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, appealing to him to withdraw the legal charges against him and allow peace to prevail.

Speed Darlington made the appeal in a video shared on his Instagram page on Thursday, where he expressed regret over the pain, embarrassment and controversy his previous comments might have caused Burna Boy.

In the video, the controversial singer admitted that he was wrong in his approach to their disagreement and appealed for an end to the prolonged dispute.

“This video is for Burna Boy. Burna, this is an apology video. I apologise for any pain that I have caused you. Any shame that I have caused you,” he said.

He acknowledged that he had wrongly assumed that everyone would respond to situations the same way, adding that he regretted his actions.

“I made the mistake of thinking that everybody vibrates at the same frequency. That’s wrong of me. I apologise, Burna Boy,” he added.

As part of his appeal, Speed Darlington promised to stop making direct or indirect remarks about Burna Boy’s sexuality if the Grammy winner agreed to withdraw the charges against him.

“I give you my word that if you withdraw all charges and let everything die, I give you my word that I will never make any direct comment regarding your sexuality.

“Even indirect comment. I will no longer try to sustain it. I give you my word. Let peace reign,” he said.

The singer further promised never to mention Burna Boy’s name publicly again if the legal dispute was resolved.

The latest development follows a prolonged disagreement between the two entertainers, which began in October 2024 after Speed Darlington released videos questioning Burna Boy’s Grammy Award victory for his album, Twice as Tall.

He also made controversial insinuations about Burna Boy’s alleged relationship with American music executive Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Burna Boy subsequently petitioned the police over allegations of defamation and cyberstalking, leading to Speed Darlington’s arrest in Lagos on October 4, 2024.

He was later transferred to Abuja, where he remained in detention before being released on October 9, 2024.

Following his release, Burna Boy’s lawyer, Stan Alieke, issued a statement apologising to the Grammy-winning singer, explaining that Speed Darlington’s controversial videos were intended for entertainment and were not meant to defame or damage his reputation.

Alieke also disclosed that Speed Darlington had privately contacted Burna Boy and his management team to apologise and clarify his comments.

However, Speed Darlington subsequently distanced himself from the apology, claiming that his lawyer had advised him to issue it to facilitate the recovery of his seized mobile phone.

The disagreement 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, describing it as unnecessary and accusing Burna Boy of using the police to intimidate his client.

Speed Darlington remained in detention for several weeks before he was eventually arraigned and granted bail in January 2025.

Despite his release, tensions between the two musicians continued, with Speed Darlington releasing diss tracks and making further public statements about Burna Boy.

His latest apology appears to be another attempt to bring the prolonged disagreement to an end, although he has made the withdrawal of the charges a condition for his promise to refrain from further comments about the singer.

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