The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) is considering legal action against Nigerian entertainer Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, after he failed to honour a formal summons to appear at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday, May 30.
The summons was issued following widespread backlash to a viral Instagram video in which Okoye claimed to have had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl.
The agency’s invitation, dated Wednesday, May 28, and signed by Ngamaraju Mangzha, Head of NAPTIP’s Cybercrime Response Team, instructed the artist to report at the agency’s Wuse Zone 5 office by 9:00 a.m. on Friday. By midday, an official at the agency confirmed that Okoye had not shown up. “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,” the official said.
Another agency official, speaking anonymously, said Okoye had not communicated with them nor offered any explanation for his absence. “We issued a statement summoning him to appear in our office today at 09:00 a.m. It is evening now and we are still waiting. Maybe he had a delayed flight. He has not communicated officially with us.”
The official explained how the case came under NAPTIP’s jurisdiction. “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.”
The Instagram video, which surfaced on Tuesday, May 27, howed Okoye claiming to have sl3pt with a “15-year-old virgin,” a statement widely viewed as a public admission of statutory rape. The Lagos State Government promptly escalated the case to NAPTIP, citing its jurisdictional limits.
In the formal invitation, the agency wrote: “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 s3xual 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.”
The letter added, “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.”
The letter concluded with a stern warning: “Failure to honour this invitation may result in further legal action.”
NAPTIP’s Chief Press Officer, Mr Adekoye Vincent, confirmed that the agency’s Director-General, Binta Bello, is closely monitoring the case. “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 said.
“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.”
When asked whether the agency would arrest Okoye or hand over the case 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.”
Meanwhile, amid growing outrage, Isaac Fayose, brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, revealed that the girl mentioned in the video intends to file a formal complaint with the police. In a bid to calm the backlash, Speed Darlington later claimed the video was a “publicity stunt” to promote his music. “I need controversy to eat,” he said, describing the video as “a prank.”
The retraction, however, did little to stem public anger. Critics, including women’s rights advocates, have maintained that making light of child s3xual abuse is deeply dangerous and socially unacceptable.
