Singer Darlington Okoye, known as Speed Darlington, has publicly apologised to Grammy-winning artist Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, and urged him to withdraw legal charges in a dispute that has stretched over two years.
In a video posted on his Instagram page on Thursday, Speed Darlington expressed regret for the pain and embarrassment he said he may have caused.
“This video is for Burna Boy. Burna, this is an apology video. I apologise for any pain that I have caused you. Any shame that I have caused you,” he said.
He acknowledged that he had been wrong to assume others shared his temperament. “I made the mistake of thinking that everybody vibrates at the same frequency. That’s wrong of me. I apologise, Burna Boy,” he added.
Speed Darlington pledged to stop commenting on Burna Boy’s sexuality if the charges were dropped. “I give you my word that if you withdraw all charges and let everything die, I give you my word that I will never make any direct comment regarding your sexuality. Even indirect comment. I will no longer try sustain. I give you my word. Let peace reign,” he said.
He also promised never to mention the singer’s name again. “I promise I will never use my mouth to mention your name,” he stated.
The feud intensified in October 2024 after Speed Darlington posted videos questioning Burna Boy’s Grammy win for the album Twice as Tall and making comments about his links to US music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs. Burna Boy petitioned police over alleged defamation and cyberstalking, leading to Speed Darlington’s arrest in Lagos on 4 October 2024. He was later transferred to Abuja and released on 9 October.
His then-lawyer, Stan Alieke, issued an earlier apology, describing the videos as entertainment that was not meant to defame. Speed Darlington later distanced himself from that statement, saying it was made on legal advice to recover a seized phone.
He was arrested again in November 2024 while performing in Owerri, Imo State, and was eventually arraigned and granted bail in January 2025. The dispute continued with further public comments and diss tracks from Speed Darlington.
His latest video ties the promise of silence to the withdrawal of all charges.
