NAPTIP considered placing a ₦50 million bounty on the singer.

Two weeks after he fled Nigeria, controversial singer, Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington, remains at large, while the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP), is yet to make any public statement on the case.

The singer allegedly fled Nigeria just days after he confessed to having sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl during an Instagram live session on 27 May 2025.

This led to NAPTIP inviting the singer for interrogation, which Darlington repeatedly defied.

Subsequently, on 27 June 2025, after twice refusing to honour NAPTIP’s invitation, the agency declared Darlington wanted.

This move prompted a response video from the controversial singer on 30 June 2025. In it, he insisted he had done nothing wrong.

In the video, he challenged the agency to delete the ‘wanted’ notice placed on him and demanded ₦2.5 million before he would consider honouring their invitation.

Shortly after he announced his conditions for honouring the agency’s invitation, he fled Nigeria.

NAPTIP considered placing a ₦50 million bounty on the singer and has engaged international security agencies in hunting him.

Update

In a viral video on Wednesday, Darlington confirmed that he had successfully left Nigeria, two weeks after being declared wanted.

In the video, the ‘Village Girl’ singer boasted about abandoning Lagos’ girls for their New York counterparts, claiming the latter are more genuine in their relationships.

“These people do express love. Our girls in Nigeria are all about ‘give me money, give me money’,” he added.

Meanwhile, NAPTIP has remained silent as the singer continues to flaunt his escape from arrest, despite the agency’s earlier vow, weeks ago, to apprehend him by all means necessary.

This newspaper contacted NAPTIP’s press officer, Vincent Adekoya, on Wednesday for updates on the suspect’s arrest, the agency’s response to the singer’s new video, and the possibility of dropping the case against Darlington.

He maintained there was nothing new to report. “Like I told you, no update yet,” he said.