Despite a Federal High Court decision that granted Nigerian rapper Speed Darlington unconditional bail, prominent attorney Deji Adeyanju has voiced his displeasure over his ongoing detention.
Since his re-arrest in Owerri, Imo State, on November 27, Speed Darlington has been under police custody. His imprisonment in October was the result of a petition purportedly submitted by fellow musician Burna Boy, which prompted his re-arrest.
The rapper was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, December 23. His legal team simply needs to submit the decision to the police legal department for processing. In order to facilitate Speed Darlington’s release, the department was then supposed to submit the order to the Force Investigation Department (FID), where he is detained.
The rapper is still in custody since the police have not yet taken any action, despite the legal team allegedly fulfilling their responsibilities by filing the court order.
Adeyanju, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, strongly criticized the Nigerian police for their failure to comply with the court’s decision.
Adeyanju wrote…
“The Nigerian Police have refused to release Speed Darlington a.k.a AKPI despite the explicit order of the Federal High Court to do so. This is the highest form of disrespect to the judiciary,”
Many people are worried about the rule of law and the consequences of police disregard for court orders after hearing the activist lawyer’s speech. There are growing calls for prompt action to secure Speed Darlington’s release and protect Nigeria’s judicial system.
The Nigerian Police Force has not yet released a formal statement on the subject.