The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has confirmed that controversial rapper Speed Darlington remains on its security watchlist over allegations that he engaged in sexual activity with a minor.
According to the agency, the artiste, whose real name is Darlington Okoye, was flagged after repeatedly failing to honour invitations to meet with investigators in Abuja.
Speaking at a press briefing to launch the 2025 edition of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Abuja, NAPTIP’s Director of Legal and Prosecution, Mrs. Ijeoma Amugo, said the case stems from a May 2024 Instagram Live session in which Speed Darlington allegedly claimed he had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl.
Amugo noted that the musician refused to cooperate and instead used social media to attack the agency.
She said, “What he did was to preemptively try to intimidate us by going to social media to say that he wouldn’t come and that he wouldn’t respond to us, claiming we were violating his human rights.”
Amugo added that efforts to locate him proved futile.
“We tried our best to physically locate him because you have to locate the suspect before justice can be served,” she stated.
Investigators, she explained, were unable to trace him to any of his known addresses and later received information suggesting he had left Nigeria.
“Our last information is that he’s outside Nigeria. We’ve placed him on watchlist. The moment he steps back into the country, we’ll pick up the investigation,” she said.
She continued, “As I speak to you, the last report we have is that he’s outside the country and we have not heard from him. We have placed him on watchlist. Anytime he enters Nigeria, NAPTIP will continue the investigation from where we stopped. That is the status of the case for now.”
