The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is considering legal action against controversial Nigerian entertainer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, after he failed to appear at its headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
NAPTIP summoned Okoye after he claimed to have had sex with a 15-year-old girl during a live Instagram video.
A letter issued by the agency’s Head of Cybercrime Response Team, Ngamaraju Mangzha, and addressed to Okoye on Wednesday, requested that the singer appear at its Abuja headquarters at 9:00 a.m. on Friday.
However, our correspondent who visited the agency’s headquarters on Friday reported that the musician had not shown up at NAPTIP’s Wuse Zone 5 office as of noon.
“As of now, we are still waiting. If we don’t see him, we will take action based on the notice issued. The last paragraph is very clear,” one official who asked to remain anonymous said.
Another official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Okoye had not yet informed NAPTIP of the reasons for his absence.
“We issued a statement summoning him to appear in our office today at 09:00 am. It is evening now, and we are still waiting. Maybe he had a delayed flight. He has not communicated officially with us.
“Immediately he released that viral video, people started tagging us. They tagged the Lagos State Government. They called our Lagos zonal commander to say that they could not establish that the offence was committed in Lagos because they have jurisdiction only within Lagos.
“They now said they will refer the case to us because we have a national reach. They called our Lagos Commander, who gave them our email address here. So, they escalated the matter,” he stated.
Meanwhile, NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Mr Adekoye Vincent, stated that the Director-General, Binta Bello, was concerned about Speed Darlington’s video.
Speaking on if the agency would apprehend Speed Darlington or hand him over to the police, Adekoye said, “His failure to appear will ensure that we know what to do within the law. It is clear. It may be prosecution or arrest, but whatever it is, we are very concerned.”
On Tuesday, Speed Darlington sparked outrage on social media after claiming to have slept with a 15-year-old virgin on a livestream.
The video rapidly went viral, causing great indignation among viewers and women’s rights organisations, who accused him of confessing to statutory rape.
Within 24 hours, the backlash garnered official notice, as the Lagos State Government reported the incident to NAPTIP, which immediately called the singer for questioning.
The summon letter read, “We write to formally invite you to appear before the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in respect of certain video materials recently circulated online, including but not limited to a particular Instagram video wherein you allegedly made statements admitting to having engaged in sexual acts with an underage girl.
“Additional archived videos, now in circulation, similarly contain admissions and degrading commentary concerning minors. These actions, if substantiated, constitute offences under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015, Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
“You are hereby invited to appear in person for an interview as regards the alleged actions on Friday, May 30, 2025, by 9 a.m. at the NAPTIP Headquarters: 2028 Dalaba Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, FCT.
“Kindly bring along any legal representation or documents you may consider relevant. Please be informed that your cooperation is critical to ensuring a fair and thorough inquiry into the matter.”
However, NAPTIP warned, “Failure to honour this invitation may result in further legal action.”
Isaac Fayose, the brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, also told journalists that the girl in the video planned to make a formal complaint with the police.
Faced with rising criticism, Speed Darlington issued follow-up posts emphasising that the “confession” was a publicity stunt to promote new music, saying bluntly, “I need controversy to eat.”
In another post, he described the video as “a prank”.
However, the about-face did little to appease critics, many of whom believed that joking about child sexual abuse is inherently damaging.
“We are concerned. Our DG is seriously concerned. She’s monitoring the situation by the hour. Why? It’s an issue that borders on a minor, the human rights of the minor, and sexual abuse. Anything could have happened to that girl.
“He was not under duress. It was an admission. Look at what he released yesterday: a video saying that if he had known that this 15-year-old would generate this, he would have gone for a 12-year-old,” Adekoye explained.
