Nigerian Musicians are some of the country’s biggest exports. But they are not free from controversy. In light of the Uganda arrest, prosecution, and eventual release of rising stars Omah Lay and Tems, we take a look at some of our music stars who have had to face the law here and abroad.
1. Burna Boy:
Burna Boy was arrested in 2017 for sending armed men to attack Mr 2Kay. The robbers were apprehended and confessed that they were sent by Burna’s road manager, Joel Kantiock. After their confession, Burna was declared wanted by the Lagos state police command. He later presented himself and was detained. He was arraigned in court and released on bail for one hundred thousand naira. The case later died down after Burna Boy called Mr 2Kay to apologize.
However, that wasn’t Burna’s first time facing the law. In 2010, a young Burna was reportedly involved in a gang-related stabbing in London that left one person dead. He was tried as a minor, found guilty and sent to jail. The singer was released on parole eleven months into his sentence, on the grounds of good behaviour. He reportedly flouted the terms of his parole and traveled back to Nigeria to pursue his career in music.
2. Dammy Krane:
Dammy Krane was set to be the next big thing in the Nigerian music industry. He was signed to 2baba’s Hypertek records and was on his way to becoming one of Nigeria’s biggest stars until his arrest in 2017. He was accused by an American jet company, Tapjets, of using five different credit cards that did not belong to him while trying to book a private jet with them. He was arrested and sent to jail in Miami for theft, credit card scam, and fraud. He was later released from jail after meeting his bail conditions, set at seven thousand and five hundred dollars. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and demanded a trial by jury. The court dismissed the case.
In 2019 Dammy Krane was brought before a magistrate court in Igbosere on three counts bordering on conspiracy, threat to life, defamation, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace proffered against him by the police. He allegedly threatened the lives of staff members of a betting company, Merrybet Gold Limited, on July 29, 2019, and also released a song in which he accused the firm of breach of contract. He was fined a sum of fifty thousand naira with one surety in like sum.
3. Davido:
OBO has run into trouble with the police a few times. In 2011, he was arrested by members of the police force sent by his father. Davido had dropped out of school without his father’s permission. He traveled to Atlanta and then London, breaking his SIM card and maintaining radio silence. Upon his arrival back to Lagos, with tattoos and piercings instead of a business management degree, police operatives sent by his father apprehended him. Davido and Chief Adeleke later agreed he would get a degree from a private university in Nigeria if he wanted to continue his music career.
Although he agreed, OBO broke this agreement by releasing music and performing at shows while in school. In an interview on the breakfast show hosted by CharlamagnethaGod, he said, “I remember the first show, I was upstairs in the green room, and was about to come down, I looked down and there were like 50 policemen. Back then they took my ex, they arrested her, they took my road manager, they arrested the promoter. I remember I went through the back fence, was running. I picked up the phone and my dad was like, if you don’t come to the police station, all your friends are going to jail. I got to the police station and the policeman’s phone starts ringing and it was my song playing. He let us go at some point.”
Davido was rumoured to have been arrested again in November 2019 for allegedly stabbing Michael aka Dream Chaser, who is said to be the younger brother of Abu Abel, the CEO of Obimzy Records in Dubai. A tipsy Davido was approached by the victim and things got awry quickly with Davido allegedly smashing a bottle on the victim’s head. He was arrested immediately while the victim rushed to the hospital. However, his management denied the report, and the father of three was spotted with Mayorkun in London the day after.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti is remembered as a pioneer, an activist and the creator of the Afrobeat genre. Another thing he is widely remembered for is his multiple run-ins with the government. Abami eda was arrested over 200 times and spent time in jail. The government also sent soldiers to attack and beat up his family and friends occasionally.
In 1977, during Major General Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, Fela released an album, ‘Zombie’ attacking the Nigerian military government. The government sent soldiers to raid his Kalakuta residence in retaliation. During the raid, soldiers threw his elderly mother, human rights activist, Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti off a building. She suffered fatal injuries and died soon after.
In 1984, General Muhammadu Buhari jailed Abami Eda on a charge of currency smuggling which Amnesty International and others denounced as politically motivated. He was released 20 months later by General Ibrahim Babangida, his longest stint in jail.
5. Godwon:
Rapper Godwon, was among the first set of people to mock his friend turned foe Sinzu {formerly known as Saucekid} when news circulated of his arrest in 2014. However, it was discovered that Godwon had earlier been arrested in 2009 for burglary. He was released and returned to Nigeria in 2010 to begin his rap career.
6. Lil Frosh:
Sanni Goriola Wasiu popularly known as Lil Frosh was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, Gift Camille. He was detained at Alagbon Police Station in Ikoyi, Lagos. Lil Frosh was also dropped from his label DMW after the allegations came to light. He had barely spent a month signed to the record label. He denied the allegations in a radio interview stating that pictures she released as evidence of the assault were allergic reactions.
Naira Marley is one of Nigeria’s most controversial artists. In a Noisey documentary, Marley claimed to have been arrested 124 times.
In 2019, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested Naira Marley on charges of internet fraud and money laundering. Marley’s arraignment along with musician Zlatan Ibile and 4 others was one of the most talked-about topics of 2019. He was remanded in prison and later got bailed after appearing in court for the second time.
Naira Marley was arrested again in 2020, for breaking lockdown rules. According to a statement by the Lagos State Police Command, Marley embarked on a non-essential trip from Lagos to Abuja and back to Lagos on the same date, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja for a musical concert in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. He and his manager were fined to the sum of one hundred thousand naira each.
8. Obesere:
Popular Fuji musician, Abass Akande, was arrested for allegedly raping a 29-year-old woman in 2014. Obesere was first arrested by operatives from the Isolo Police Division where the victim reported the matter. He was released on administrative bail but later re-arrested when a medical examination conducted on the victim, Ms. Olaiya, revealed that she was raped. Obesere however denied ever raping Ms. Olaiya. He insisted the woman was his lover and that they made love when she visited him.
Obesere was also arrested in 2011 for failing to pay a three million naira debt. He had borrowed a loan from Cedar Microfinance Bank Limited and refused to honour the terms of repayment. Sources say the bank wrote to the Fuji musician in October 2010, but he never paid back the loan. They proceeded to call the attention of police operatives who arrested him. He was later released on bail after signing an undertaking that he would repay the loan.
9. Omah Lay:
In his first trip out of the country, rising star, Stanley Omah Didia, popularly known as Omah Lay, was arrested in Uganda for flouting COVID-19 rules. He was arrested along with singer-songwriter Tems, Muyiwa Awoniyi, and the event promoters. Omah Lay was released after spending two days in police custody. If convicted, he would have faced up to seven years in imprisonment without the option of a fine. Omah Lay has not given an official statement since his return.
10. Pasuma:
Fuji star, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma spoke about his arrest on an Instagram live chat with rapper Bouqui. He said, “Someone was killed at my show and I was the one performing. They took us to the Police station. Unfortunately, the brother of the deceased was a lawyer, and he vowed to take the case far. I told him his brother came to the show, and they started fighting. Unfortunately, he lost his life. The brother of the deceased told me to supply the people who killed his brother. I was locked up for what I knew nothing about, all because I decided to do Fuji music. I didn’t stop doing Fuji music despite what I went through.”
11. Praiz:
The stories surrounding Praiz’s arrest are contradictory, with both sides giving different accounts. According to Praiz, he was profiled by SARS officials for having a beard and sporting a chain and cap. He was stopped in 2017 while he was on an Uber ride. The police have a different version, According to them, the Project Fame alumni was the driver and was driving at full speed. He was stopped by the police officers and hurled invectives at them while recording. Praiz claimed his phone was smashed by the alleged SARS operatives while he was trying to record his arrest. He was released and went on to narrate his ordeal using the hashtag #ENDSARS.
12. Saheed Osupa:
Osupa was arrested by EFCC operatives in 2007 for throwing a party worth three million naira for a lady identified as Tope. Saheed Osupa had originally been sent a letter by the EFCC but he claimed the letter did not bear their logo so he dismissed it. When the operatives stormed his house, he mistook them for armed robbers and engaged them in a brawl where he sustained a head injury before he was taken to the Ikoyi office of the commission. He was later released after being questioned and asked to return to the office on a later date.
In 2011, reports surfaced that court bailiffs had stormed his Ajao Estate residence after he failed to pay up the sum of 5.2 million naira decided by an Ijebu-Ode High Court to an Ogun State businessman and socialite, Mr. Agbomeji Adekunle who allegedly gave him one million naira to perform at his event in Ijebu Ode, which Osupa didn’t turn-up for.
There were also rumours that the Fuji star was arrested and detained for three weeks over the incident, a claim he utterly denied. Speaking with Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET), King Saheed Osupa stated, ‘It’s not true o, my brother. People carry stupid rumours all the time. I have settled things with the man in question (Mr. Agbomeji Adekunle) and we are good‘.
13. Seun Kuti:
Oluwaseun Anikulapo Kuti followed in his legendary father’s footsteps. Apart from being one of the few artists who make Afrobeat music, he is also a political activist. That is not where the similarity ends, Seun just like his father Fela has also had his share of arrests.
In December 2020, Seun Kuti’s residence was put under heavy surveillance by the Nigerian Police force for allegedly intimidating people with firearms. On an Instagram live, he admitted to assaulting a person who had parked in front of his gate but didn’t respond to the allegation of whether he threatened the person with arms. He was arrested after presenting himself at the Lagos Police Command and detained. He was released later that evening after his legal team and other activists mounted pressure.
14. Sinzu:
Sinzu formerly known as Saucekid was one of the biggest and most promising rappers in the early 2010s. In 2016, he was arrested for theft and other related offenses. He allegedly stole $15,388 from unsuspecting victims through bank card numbers and identifying information of their owners. He was released in 2018 and signed to Davido’s DMW record label.
15. Skales:
Raoul John Njeng popularly known as Skales was arrested along with his manager Osagie for allegedly committing fraud against his record label, Baseline Records, in 2016. According to an insider, Skales and his manager confessed to taking over ten million naira from the label. But the parties soon resolved their issues out of court.
16. Small Doctor:
Temitope Adekunle popularly known as Small Doctor, was arrested on December 3, 2018, with three members of his crew. He was alleged to have threatened officers on patrol with an unregistered rifle before he was disarmed and arrested. The musician who is also an ambassador for the police force was released and all charges against him were cleared.
17. Tems:
Temilade Opaniyi was arrested with Omah Lay for performing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda. The artist popularly known as Tems underwent a hunger strike to protest her detention. She was later released after calls came from Nigerians and Nigerian stars to release her and Omah Lay. Upon her return to Nigeria, Tems called out Ugandan artist, Bebe Cool, for orchestrating their arrest and pretending to release them.
18. Tiwa Savage:
They arrested the pop star in 2014 after allegedly assaulting a police officer. She refused to stop at a traffic light around Adetokunbo Ademola Street. When she was accosted by police officers, she refused to park her car. She was pursued by the police officers and later stopped. Tiwa Savage was taken to the police station and was released after apologizing to the police officer.
18. Zlatan Ibile:
Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael popularly known as Zlatan Ibile was arrested along with Naira Marley in 2019. The musicians were arrested for their alleged involvement in internet fraud and money laundering. He and three others were released on administrative bail. His popularity increased at that point, and he has released other chart-topping songs. He is currently nominated in the Best Street-hop song category in the 2021 Headies.
