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 appear at its Abuja headquarters on Friday, May 30.
The agency had summoned Okoye following his shocking claim during a live Instagram session that he had engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl—a revelation that quickly went viral and sparked widespread outrage.
The summon, dated Wednesday and signed by the agency’s Head of Cybercrime Response Team, Ngamaraju Mangzha, directed the singer to present himself at NAPTIP’s head office in Abuja by 9:00 a.m. on Friday. By midday, however, a correspondent at the agency’s Wuse Zone 5 office 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,” an agency official said.
Another official, speaking anonymously, noted that Okoye had offered no explanation 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.”
The video, which surfaced on Tuesday, featured Okoye claiming he had slept with a “15-year-old virgin.” The remark drew swift condemnation from viewers and women’s rights advocates, who labelled it a public confession of statutory rape.
Within 24 hours, the Lagos State Government escalated the matter to NAPTIP, citing jurisdictional limits. The agency acted quickly by summoning Okoye.
“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.”
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 situation.
“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-old would generate this, he would have gone for a 12-year-old.”
When asked whether the agency would apprehend Okoye or hand the case over to police, Adekoye replied:
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.”
Amid growing backlash, Isaac Fayose—brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose—disclosed that the girl referenced in the video intended to file a formal police complaint.
In a bid to defuse the situation, Speed Darlington later claimed the video was not a true confession but rather a publicity stunt to promote his music.
“I need controversy to eat,” he stated, describing the video as “a prank.”
However, the retraction did little to calm public outrage. Critics insisted that joking about child sexual abuse is both dangerous and unacceptable.
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