Nigeria: Alleged Defamation – Dammy Krane Released From Detention After Online Spat With Davido

“I know there are a lot of words that ought not to be said. I want to apologise for this Tagbo death allegation.”

Controversial Nigerian singer Dammy Krane, aka Johnson Oyindamola, has been released from police custody nearly a week after his detention at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCID) in Abuja.

The arrest stemmed from allegations of defamation against his colleague, Davido. The controversy ignited on 22 August when the singer publicly accused Davido of orchestrating his arrest.

He claimed that Davido paid law enforcement to detain him over supposed involvement in illegal activities related to Flutterwave and cryptocurrency scams.

The 32-year-old singer further warned that Davido should be held responsible if anything happened to him while in custody.

The release followed a public plea from social media activist Verydarkman (VDM), who, after visiting the police station on Wednesday, recounted his encounter with Dammy Krane, who blamed Davido for his predicament.

VDM appealed to the 31-year-old music star, asking him not to use his influence to keep Dammy Krane in detention. The activist said the “Unavailable” hitmaker is not “an oppressor” and urged him to give the singer a second chance.

Apology

On Thursday, VDM announced the news via an Instagram post, where a video showed a newly released Dammy Krane expressing his gratitude to him.

In the post, VDM thanked Davido for responding to his plea and releasing Dammy Krane.

Dammy Krane, in his first public statement after his release, apologised to Davido for the allegations he had made, particularly the accusation that Davido was involved in the death of their mutual friend, Tagbo Umeike, who died in October 2017.

Despite their differences, Dammy Krane, in the video shared by VDM, stated that he regretted the defamation and reassured that Davido remains his brother.

He said, “I want to say a big thank you to my brother. I know there are a lot of words that ought not to be said. I know. I want to apologise for this Tagbo death allegation. You all should still remember David is my brother. And we are going to find a major ground to resolve everything.”

Past allegations

The feud between Dammy Krane and Davido was long before the arrest.

In June 2024, Dammy Krane refused to back down from allegations against Davido despite a cease-and-desist order served by the latter.

The order sought to hold Dammy Krane accountable for defamatory statements, including accusing Davido of murder in a tweet that went viral. This tweet, which also made a mockery of Davido’s wedding was deemed offensive and led to Davido’s legal action, demanding a retraction within 24 hours.

Their feud also made headlines in October 2023 when Dammy Krane accused Davido of owing him money for their 2017 collaboration on the song “Pere” and appealed to him to settle the debt to cover his daughter’s school fees. Davido denied the allegations, claiming he had never received compensation for the three verses he contributed to Dammy Krane’s song.

Dammy Krane’s refusal to retract his statements led to further legal threats from Davido’s lawyer, who warned that failing to comply would result in legal action for defamation.

Dammy Krane’s controversies

Dammy Krane is no stranger to controversy. In 2019, he was prosecuted by the police on charges of threat to life, defamation, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

The charges were brought against him by Merrybet Gold Limited.

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This sports betting company accused the singer of threatening its staff and defaming the company after a dispute over a game show appearance.

Dammy Krane allegedly demanded payment for appearing on the show, which the company refused, insisting that payments were only made to winners. In response, Dammy Krane accused the firm of breaching their contract, leading to his arraignment at the Igbosere Magistrate Court in Lagos.

Also in 2017, Dammy Krane was arrested in Miami, US, for credit card fraud after he was caught using a bogus card to book a private jet flight. During a search, authorities found seven false credit cards in his possession. He was released from jail after meeting bail conditions but faced significant public scrutiny due to the incident.

The singer is known for his 2012 single “My Darling.” He also recently announced the upcoming release of his new project, ‘King of Afrobeats,’ set to drop on 6 September.