Over two days after the Federal High Court granted bail to singer Speed Darlington, his lawyers, Deji Adeyanju and Stan Alieke, have accused the police of disregarding the court’s ruling by continuing to detain him.
Speed Darlington, who was arrested on November 27 for allegedly cyberstalking Grammy Award-winning artist Burna Boy, has spent over a month in police custody.
Despite the court granting him bail on Monday, his release has been delayed, sparking criticism from his legal team and supporters.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, lawyer Stan Alieke expressed frustration over the lack of assistance in securing Speed Darlington’s release, despite reaching out to various contacts.
“I’ve done everything a lawyer is supposed to do, I’ve even reached out to political friends in Abuja. I’ve tried to get people involved, but no one wants to help. People are saying he deserved this because of his past behavior, but that’s not the point. Imagine your brother being detained for over a month for allegedly insulting someone,” Alieke said.
Alieke also condemned the police’s refusal to comply with the court’s order, which mandated that Speed Darlington either be released or arraigned within 48 hours.
“I don’t understand why the police are refusing to follow the court order. The court said he should either be released or arraigned within 48 hours, but he’s still in detention. Today marks the 48 hours since the ruling, yet the police refuse to obey the court,” he added.
Similarly, Deji Adeyanju expressed his outrage on social media, describing the police’s actions as a “disrespect to the judiciary.”
He wrote: “The Nigerian Police have refused to release Speed Darlington, despite the explicit order from the Federal High Court. This is the highest form of disrespect to the judiciary.”
Speed Darlington has now spent Christmas in detention, with his lawyers continuing to demand his immediate release.
