Lawyers for Afrobeats sensation David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, have issued a cease and desist letter to singer Oyindamola Emmanuel, also known as Dammy Krane, requesting a retraction of a viral tweet labelling Davido a “murderer” and “cheat.”
The post mocking Davido’s imminent wedding was considered defamatory and insulting.
Dammy Krane wrote, “There’s nothing worse than murder. You can get money, but you can’t get peace, or karma.
“Ps: Don’t ever get married because your girl caught you cheating, you wan gbe-iya-wo. ( Carry a suffering look.) Congratulations, Owe B. Owe—BBig Daddy Krane.”
The lawyers noted that Davido, a well-known musician and philanthropist, has never been prosecuted or convicted of any crime, including murder.
They ordered Dammy Krane to delete the tweet and stop defaming Davido within 24 hours or face legal action, including damages and injunctive relief.
The letter said, “We are informed by our client that you have repeatedly published statements on your social media platforms that he finds not only defamatory and offensive but which also constitute an act of cyberbullying.
“Our client has further informed us that whilst in Abuja, he became aware of the latest in your series of defamatory posts, which is your publication of June 21, 2024, which you caused to be published on your X (formerly “Twitter”) page using the handle #dammy_krane, wherein you stated thus: “Theres nothing worse than murderr #davido. You fit to get money, but you no fit to get peace.
“Ps: Don’t ever get married because your girl caught you cheating, you wan gbe-iya-wo. ( Carry a suffering look.) Congratulations, Owe B. Owe—BBig Daddy Krane.”
“The simple imputation to be drawn from this post is that, amongst other reprehensible things, our client is a murderer.
“Our client vehemently asserts that contrary to the insinuations in your post, he has never been charged with or convicted of any offence, including murder.”
The lawyers stated that the false nature of the publications is evident.
It added, “The malicious nature of your post is also evident from your subsequent post taunting our client and stating that “he can’t sue because I speak the truth, Oponu,” when in fact you know your allegations to be false and outlandish.
“The above posts, which you published to your over 342,600 followers on the X platform, have been circulated globally and syndicated by hundreds of blogs across the world. Given the status of our client, this post has unsurprisingly gained significant traction globally, and our client is at the time of this letter trending at No. 1 on X Trends for Nigeria, attracting thousands of negative comments and reactions in the process.
“Your conduct in publishing these statements, despite knowing them to be false, is not only malicious but also orchestrated to defame and injure the reputation of our client, a globally recognised music star. Such actions constitute a civil breach as well as an infraction of the relevant criminal laws.
“Therefore, we hereby demand that you: 1. Within 24 hours from the date of this letter, remove and retract the offensive publication from all your social media platforms.
“2. Immediately refrain from any further publication of defamatory statements against our client on any platform whatsoever.
“Take notice that your failure to comply with these demands within the stipulated timeframe will compel our client to pursue all available legal remedies, including but not limited to initiating legal proceedings against you for damages and injunctive relief and escalating this matter to the relevant law enforcement agencies.”