- Speed Darlington has been granted bail by a court in Abuja
- The bail, N20 million, requires a surety of the same amount
- Once the bail conditions are met, the controversial singer will finally be released
Popular Nigerian controversial singer and rapper Speed Darlington has finally been granted bail after two months in Police custody.
This is coming after all the efforts by his lawyers to get him out of prison proved futile. The lawyers had alleged that the police were refusing their client despite a court order.
Speed Darlington was initially rearrested in November 2024 over defamation and cyberstalking allegations against his colleague Burna Boy.
In the heat of Diddy’s viral case, Speed Darlington had called out Burna Boy. Speed alleged that the singer was homosexual, particularly in regards to how he won his celebrated Grammy Awards.
According to a recent publication by Vanguard Newspaper, on Wednesday, January 16, Speed Darlington was granted N20 million bail by a High Court sitting in Abuja. He is also to provide one surety of the same amount.
The surety required for his bail must be a Level 10 civil servant, a resident of Abuja, and either a staff member of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) or a federal worker.
Justice Ekerete Akpan made this decision after the singer's lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, presented a bail application. Speed Darlington reportedly pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of alleged cybercrime.
The case has been adjourned until March 18 for trial. However, Speed Darlington will be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre until he meets the bail conditions.
Speed Darlington’s release date
Meanwhile, via his Instagram story, Speed Darlington’s lawyer, Stan Alieke disclosed that the singer would be released on Thursday, January 16.
The lawyer, however, noted that the Speed Darlington was supposed to have been released yesterday, January 15 but for the surety’s verification process.
He was optimistic that today, once the surety is verified and the bail conditions met, Speed Darlington would get his freedom.
“Yes, Akpi was arraigned and granted bail today by the court and he was meant to be released today. The court just couldn't meet up to verify the surety we provided that's why he wasn't released today. Hopefully, by tomorrow he'll be out after the perfection of the bail conditions,” Stan wrote.
Alleged Defamation: 3 popular Nigerian artistes who have been arrested
Meanwhile, TheRadar reported earlier that it’s been one week since Nigerian singer Speedy Darlington was rearrested over the alleged defamation of Burna Boy and jumping bail.
Following Speed Darkington’s arrest, TheRadar curated a list of Nigerian artistes who have been arrested for alleged defamation.
