Afrobeats singer taking legal action over 'irresponsible' April Fools article

Nigerian singer-songwriter Davido has said he is taking legal action after an April Fool’s article said he had been arrested for drug offences.

The popular Afrobeats singer, 31, said in a statement on X that he had received a “barrage of calls” after the story – which claimed he had been detained after cocaine was found on his private jet – went viral.

“I find the fabrication of allegations of such international crimes extremely irresponsible regardless of the light of ‘April Fools’,” he wrote.

The three-time Grammy Award nominee added that the reports were “entirely untrue” and that he has since returned home to Nigeria after performing in Uganda and Kenya.

He continued: “I have never been arrested by anyone in any country for any crime in the world.

“Not my home Nigeria, my home America, or any of the hundreds of countries I’ve made home throughout my career.

Davido, whose real name is David Adedeji Adeleke, ended the statement by saying: “My lawyer is seeking legal recourse against media parties responsible for generating this misinformation.”

The prank story – which was first published by K24 TV – was also dubbed as “fake news” by Kenya’s directorate of criminal investigations, who posted the story on social media.

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The story appears to have been deleted from the K24 TV website and social media page.

Davido is highly regarded as one of the most important Afrobeats artists of the 21st century – alongside Burna Boy and Wizkid.

In 2019 he played a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena, becoming the first solo African artist to do so after Wizkid the year before.

Sky News has contacted K24 TV for comment.