Stanley Alieke, the lawyer representing Nigerian rapper Speed Darlington, has revealed what his client will not do in the ongoing defamation case against fellow artist Burna Boy.
Information Nigeria previously reported that Speed Darlington was arrested and held by the police after claiming that Burna Boy was allegedly involved in an improper relationship with the troubled American rapper and music executive, Diddy.
The trial of the singer, who was released on Tuesday after being granted bail weeks ago, is set to resume on 18 March at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Speed Darlington’s lawyer revealed in an interview with BBC Pidgin posted on Facebook Thursday that the singer will not try to negotiate with the ‘Last Last’ crooner.
He said: “Speed Darlington will never beg Burna Boy, and as his counsel, we will never support him because of all he has suffered. He won’t even agree if I advise him to beg Burna Boy. I cannot even advise him to do so because the matter is already in court. Whether he begs or not, it is now within the court’s jurisdiction to determine if what Speed Darlington said defamed Burna Boy.
“If he begs, it would mean he has pleaded guilty because Burna Boy’s petition against him claims that what he said damaged his international reputation and caused him to lose endorsements. Why didn’t Burna Boy initiate a civil action in court instead? The court could have equated any damages to financial compensation.”
Mr. Alieke also mentioned that Speed Darlington’s extended detention led to financial losses for him (Speedy) and that his legal team had filed a lawsuit seeking financial compensation to uphold his fundamental human rights.
It is worth noting that Speed Darlington filed a N300 million fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.
However, the case was postponed until January 27th after the IGP’s attorney asked for more time to analyse new evidence.
“No amount they give him can equal the hardship he has suffered. They made him miss December and January shows—about 20 events he was invited to. We will present these issues to the court, as some of the show organisers had already paid him. After his release, people started sending him messages demanding refunds of their money, like N5 million, N2 million, etc.
“These are the issues we will address before even discussing the infringement of his human rights. Even if we increase the claim to N1 billion, Speed Darlington is a person of international standard, and they subjected him to unnecessary suffering,” said Mr Alieke.
He claimed that his client was being held in a facility intended for criminals awaiting trial, despite the police being required to grant him administrative bail at the time of his arrest.
He noted, “Some people were saying that it serves him right because he talks carelessly, but no matter what, that does not mean the police should keep him for that number of days or subject him to such hardship.
“They kept him in an Abattoir at the SARS office in Abuja, where Boko Haram members, Fulani herdsmen, and other criminals awaiting trial are held, just because they wanted to break him.”
