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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has placed controversial Nigerian singer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, on an international watch list over allegations of sexual involvement with a minor.
According to SaharaReporters, the agency has also notified the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) after Speed Darlington failed to honour multiple summonses regarding a viral livestream in which he allegedly confessed to having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Confirming the development on Tuesday, NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, said the agency is working with other law enforcement agencies including the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and Interpol to track down and apprehend the singer.
“We have placed all of them on procedural notice so that wherever they see him, they can take action, because we have already given him enough opportunities,” Adekoye said.
“We are working to limit his access to people, wherever he may be hiding, because he is alleged to be a dangerous individual. He has openly admitted to raping a 14-year-old girl, and as recently as yesterday, he confessed to raping a 15-year-old.
“We call on any country where he is hiding to place him under surveillance, arrest him, and hand him over to the appropriate authorities. He is alleged to be an extremely dangerous man who must be removed from society,” he added.
The agency had declared the singer wanted last Friday over allegations of rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking after he refused to respond to several invitations following the Instagram livestream, which reportedly occurred on Children’s Day, May 27. The video sparked outrage and drew condemnation from the Lagos State Government and women’s rights groups.
In a defiant response shared via TikTok on Monday, Speed Darlington dismissed the accusations and rejected NAPTIP’s invitation.
“I’m not coming. You hear me? I’m not coming. I have not committed any crime. All I did was speak,” he said.
The agency had first invited him on May 28, directing him to appear at its Abuja headquarters by May 30. However, the singer failed to honour the invitation and instead proposed June 26 as a new date. NAPTIP rejected the delay and issued a final deadline of June 2, which he also ignored.
In reaction to being declared wanted, Speed Darlington accused NAPTIP of using his name for publicity.
“Where is your evidence? Who is the complainant? You want to use me to collect social media clout? Hey, look at us. We are doing our job. We summoned a celebrity and he came,” he said.
He further described the agency’s invitation as manipulative and demanded to be paid before appearing.
“2.5 million [Naira] is what I charge for my appearance. You want to pay me 2.5 million [Naira] plus? Round trip tickets for me and my PA to come. Because I call that appearance,” he added.
Defending himself, the singer maintained that the livestream does not constitute a crime and insisted there is no evidence against him.
“There is no crime. All I did was try to claim it. You have no evidence. You have nothing. So me coming here is a waste of my time,” he declared.
As of now, NAPTIP continues its efforts to locate and apprehend Speed Darlington, urging members of the public with credible information about to come forward.
#Interpol
#Naptip
#SpeedDarlington
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