Controversial Nigerian rapper Speed Darlington has initiated a N3 billion legal battle against the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), alleging a gross infringement of his constitutional and fundamental human rights by the federal agency.
This legal action, instituted at the Federal High Court in Abuja, stems from NAPTIP’s decision to publicly declare Speed Darlington as a wanted person. The agency’s move followed accusations against the rapper which include rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking—charges that he has consistently denied.
According to NAPTIP, their public declaration was based on Darlington’s failure to respond to an official summons for questioning. This came after the rapper allegedly posted a controversial video in which he claimed to have had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl. The video sparked widespread condemnation, prompting Darlington to later clarify that the statement was fictional and not based on real events.
In his court filings, the rapper insists that the agency's conduct was both illegal and unconstitutional. He argues that NAPTIP overstepped its legal authority by declaring him wanted without obtaining a court order or judicial authorization. According to Darlington, this action amounted to an unlawful violation of his rights to dignity, liberty, privacy, and freedom of movement as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
“A declaration that the very act of declaring the applicant wanted… without any prior order or leave of a court of competent jurisdiction is unlawful, illegal, wrongful, ultra vires, unconstitutional, and constitutes a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of the applicant to personal liberty, private and family life, freedom of movement, and right not to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment,” the suit stated in part.
Darlington is demanding a total of N3 billion in compensation—broken down into N1 billion as general damages and an additional N2 billion as punitive damages. He is also asking the court to impose a 5% interest on the entire sum monthly until it is fully paid. In addition to monetary compensation, he is seeking a court order mandating NAPTIP to issue a public apology and to permanently restrain the agency and its representatives from further acting on the declaration or disseminating the “wanted” notice.