By Olaitan Ibrahim
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons 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 had summoned Okoye over his claim of having sex with a 15-year-old girl during a live Instagram video.
A letter signed by the agency’s Head of Cybercrime Response Team, Ngamaraju Mangzha, and addressed to Okoye on Wednesday, asked the singer to appear at its Abuja head office at 09:00 am on Friday.
However, our correspondent who visited the agency’s headquarters on Friday confirmed that the singer 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 told Saturday PUNCH.
Another official who spoke on 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, said the Director-General, Binta Bello, was concerned about Okoye’s video.
“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-o
ld would generate this, he would have gone for a 12-year-old,” Adekoye explained.
Asked if the agency would apprehend Okoye 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.”
Okoye set social media ablaze on Tuesday after a livestream in which he claimed he had once slept with a 15-year-old virgin.
The clip quickly went viral, triggering widespread outrage from viewers and women’s-rights groups who accused him of confessing to statutory rape.
Within 24 hours, the backlash drew official attention as the Lagos State Government reported the matter to NAPTIP, and the agency promptly summoned 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, brother of former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, also told journalists that the girl mentioned in the video intended to file a formal complaint with the police.
Facing mounting pressure, Speed Darlington released follow-up posts insisting the “confession” was a publicity stunt to promote new music, saying bluntly, “I need controversy to eat.”
In another post, he labelled the video “a prank.”
Yet the about-face did little to calm critics, many of whom argued that joking about child sexual abuse is itself harmful.