Forty-eight hours after embattled singer Darlington Achakpo popularly referred to as Pace Darlington was granted bail by the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja, his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has alleged that regardless of the court docket order, the police have refused to launch the singer.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Pace Darlington was arrested on 27 November on allegations of cyberstalking Grammy Award winner Burna Boy. After spending almost a month in police detention, the Federal Excessive Courtroom granted him bail on Monday, however his continued detention has sparked outrage amongst his authorized workforce and supporters.
In an X put up on Thursday, Mr Adeyanju expressed frustration, stating, “The Nigerian Police have refused to launch Pace Darlington, a.ok.a. Akpi, regardless of the specific order of the Federal Excessive Courtroom to take action. That is the best type of disrespect to the judiciary.”
Courtroom order
The court docket order, which Mr Adeyanju additionally shared, was issued by Justice M.S. Liman of the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja on Monday, 23 December.
Within the basic rights enforcement swimsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1832/202, Pace Darlington sued the Inspector Common of Police because the defendant.
The plaintiff, who alleged the violations of his rights by the police, additionally utilized to the court docket for an unconditional launch from custody.
Ruling on the appliance on Monday, the choose gave the police 48 hours to both launch him or cost him in court docket.
Article Web page with Monetary Help Promotion
“The Applicant is to be charged to court docket inside 48 hours or launched unconditionally earlier than the listening to of the substantive utility,” the court docket ordered and adjourned additional proceedings until 6 January 2025 for a listening to.
“The listening to discover is to be served to the Respondents,” he ordered.
Regardless of this directive, the police have but to conform.
When this newspaper reached out to a different of Pace Darlington’s lawyer, Mr Alieke, on Thursday to ask why the Police reportedly defied the court docket order, he acknowledged that “the police are higher suited to elucidate why he has not been launched.” Makes an attempt to contact Mr Adeyanju to deal with his claims had been unsuccessful.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Olumuyiwa Adejobi didn’t reply to PREMIUM TIMES’ request for feedback on Thursday.
Unconditional bail
In an interview with this newspaper on Monday, Stanley Alieke emphasised that the bail granted was unconditional and may have led to the singer’s instant launch.
He outlined that the bail course of requires the court docket’s ruling to be served to related events, together with the police, who should then notify the investigating division. Nevertheless, Darlington was not arraigned in court docket, violating the court docket’s directive.
Mr Alieke criticised the arrest as unwarranted, arguing that it was a civil matter that ought to have been resolved via authorized channels with out police involvement. Regardless of the court docket’s express order to launch Darlington or cost him inside 48 hours, the police have neither complied nor provided any rationalization for his or her actions.
READ ALSO: BurnaBoy: Lastly, Pace Darlington granted bail after month-long detention
Background
Pace Darlington’s arrest stemmed from a authorized dispute with Burna Boy, which escalated in October 2024 when Darlington allegedly mocked Burna Boy’s affiliation with American rapper Diddy, who was entangled in authorized troubles with the FBI.
This led to a diss monitor titled Child Oil, which criticised Burna Boy and gained traction on Spotify Nigeria’s High 100.
The feud deepened when Darlington demanded an apology from Burna Boy’s mom and N12 million in compensation.
His subsequent arrest on 27 November throughout a efficiency in Owerri, Imo State, has been described by his authorized workforce as a misuse of police energy. The case has been adjourned until 6 January 2025 for additional listening to.
Help PREMIUM TIMES’ journalism of integrity and credibility
At Premium Instances, we firmly imagine within the significance of high-quality journalism. Recognizing that not everybody can afford pricey information subscriptions, we’re devoted to delivering meticulously researched, fact-checked information that continues to be freely accessible to all.
Whether or not you flip to Premium Instances for day by day updates, in-depth investigations into urgent nationwide points, or entertaining trending tales, we worth your readership.
It’s important to acknowledge that information manufacturing incurs bills, and we take satisfaction in by no means putting our tales behind a prohibitive paywall.
Would you think about supporting us with a modest contribution on a month-to-month foundation to assist preserve our dedication to free, accessible information?
Make Contribution
TEXT AD: Name Willie – +2348098788999
