Burna Boy silent as Speed Darlington begs

Nigerian singer and controversial entertainer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, has appealed to Grammy-winning musician, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, to withdraw the legal charges against him and end their prolonged dispute.

In an apology video shared on his Instagram page on Thursday, Speed Darlington expressed regret over his previous comments about the singer, admitting that they might have caused him pain and embarrassment.

Addressing Burna Boy directly, he apologised for his remarks and admitted that he was wrong to assume that everyone would respond to provocation in the same way.

He said, “Burna, this is an apology video. I apologise for any pain that I have caused you. Any shame that I have caused you. I made the mistake of thinking that everybody vibrates at the same frequency. That is wrong of me. I apologise, Burna Boy.”

However, the apology came with a condition. Speed Darlington promised to stop making direct or indirect comments about Burna Boy’s sexuality if the singer agreed to withdraw all charges against him.

“I give you my word that if you withdraw all charges and let everything die, I will never make any direct comment regarding your sexuality. Even indirect comments. I will no longer try to sustain it. I give you my word. Let peace reign,” he said.

Speed Darlington also promised never to mention Burna Boy’s name again if the dispute was resolved.

The latest development marks a shift in Speed Darlington’s approach to the disagreement, which began in 2024 after he questioned Burna Boy’s Grammy Award win and made insinuations about his relationship with American music executive, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Burna Boy won the Best Global Music Album category at the 2021 Grammy Awards for his album, Twice as Tall, which was executive-produced by Diddy.

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Speed Darlington subsequently questioned the circumstances surrounding the award and made provocative remarks about the relationship between the two entertainers.

In one of his viral videos, he held a bottle of baby oil while making comments about Diddy and Burna Boy. He later released a diss track titled Baby Oil, further fuelling the controversy.

The disagreement eventually moved beyond social media after Burna Boy petitioned the police over allegations of defamation and cyberstalking.

Speed Darlington was arrested in Lagos on October 4, 2024, and transferred to Abuja, where he was detained before being released on October 9.

The controversy resurfaced in November 2024 when he was arrested again while performing at a show in Owerri, Imo State.

His second detention lasted several weeks, and he was eventually released on January 21, 2025, after meeting his bail conditions.

However, his release did little to end the feud. In January 2025, Speed Darlington declared that he was not afraid of returning to prison and vowed to continue releasing content related to his Baby Oil controversy with Burna Boy.

His latest apology has since generated reactions on social media, with some interpreting it as a genuine attempt to end the dispute, while others have questioned his decision to attach conditions to the apology.

As of the time of filing this report, Burna Boy had yet to publicly respond to Speed Darlington’s appeal or indicate whether he would withdraw the charges.