Speed Darlington arrest: Is Burna Boy an oppressor?

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has recently come under public scrutiny for his alleged involvement in the detention of Speed Darlington.

Reports claimed that Burna Boy influenced Speed Darlington’s arrest by the police following a video where the former alleged that Burna Boy was involved in the nasties of Sean John Combs known as Diddy’s controversial party.

A viral video released by Speed Darlington’s mother revealed Burna Boy came with his team to pick up Speed Darlington.
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“Burna Boy came with his team to pick up my son because of a video he made. He is my only son; please forgive him.”

Nigerian lawyer and activist Adeyanju Deji in a Facebook post confirmed that Speed Darlington was detained.

“We just spent the last 30 minutes with Speed Darlington, and he narrated how he was arrested in Lagos last week, moved around, eventually brought to Abuja, and has been in detention since then,” he said. “The petition against him was written by Burna Boy; we can confirm.”

Speed Darlington was released on Tuesday.

However, many people have criticized Burna Boy for his actions, labeling them as oppressive. On the other hand, some hold opposing views on the matter.

Sally Ramsey, an X user, said Burna Boy is also known for being arrogant and arresting Speed Darlington for an offense he also committed is unacceptable.

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“Burna is the oppressor he sings about. Everybody knows he is also arrogant. He also calls out other artists; if an artist who is not as big as him calls him out, he goes to arrest that artist, and that screams of oppression.”

Jude Thompson, an Instagram user, said: “If it was Wizkid or Davido who called Burna out, he couldn’t have arrested any of them. His action screens of bullying.”

However, Eva Eva, an X user, believes Speed Darlington overstepped his bounds and got what he surely deserves.

“Speed Darlington went overboard by saying those nasty things about Burna Boy. It is because Burna is a big brand that is why people are calling it expression. We indeed have freedom of speech, but nobody guarantees your freedom of speech.”

Chidera Maddy, a Facebook user, described the whole drama as a publicity stunt.

“This is the same thing Jim Ike did with another influencer when he wanted to release his new movie. I believe this is a publicity stunt. Burna Boy’s album is about to be announced. This whole saga is to promote it,” she said.

This incident is not the first time a celebrity has been called out for oppression and misuse of power. In 2023, Toyin Abraham, a prominent celebrity, faced allegations of bullying and oppression after she was accused of detaining a troll.