THE destroyers of the African continent want no opposition and have crafted silly laws. Which is why in a ludicrous development, one Dumsile Dludlu is currently facing up to five years in prison for allegedly snooping on her husband’s WhatsApp messages in Eswatini. You see, the Computer Crime and Cybercrime Act 2022 criminalizes unauthorized access to any computer system, and Dludlu had accessed her husband’s account without permission. Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi granted Dludlu bail and set her trial for March 10. In Nigeria, there’s a similar pile of garbage called cybercrime law, a totalitarian instrument crafted to supply legitimate dissent, and you have no doubt seen even the mildest critics of public figures being hunted down by law enforcement, and charged with cybercrime. This leads me to the case of the Grammy-winning singer, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, a case which places in bold relief the utter rottenness of Nigeria’s justice system.
Fellow Nigerians, before our very eyes, the individual called Burna Boy allegedly detained an opponent for two months, but he is now set to do worse. In a statement that makes utter mockery of the Nigerian justice system, the Imperial Judge actually told his opponent, Speed Darlington, a fellow musician: “If you like misbehave again, you’ll go back to where you come from! And this time around, there will be no mercy! Don’t m*ss with ODG.” Pray, is Burna Boy going to be circulating his critics in and out of jail in a country which, like the Yoruba say, has both king and chief?
Per the Daily Post: “Darlington, who was arrested and detained by the police for accusing Burna Boy of having an immoral relationship with embattled American rapper and music executive Diddy, was released… weeks after he was granted bail. Reacting to his release, Burna Boy threatened to send Akpi back to detention if he “misbehaved” again.” Here’s the import of His Lordship’s boast: “I have the power to send you to jail for as long as I please, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.” In my experience, people don’t make this kind of statement unless they wield corrupt(ive) influence, and if he is as bold as he sounds, Justice Burna Boy should name his accomplices and executioners in the justice system, so that the rest of us can “beware the Ides of Influence.” Is Nigeria’s legal system not in utter decay when a citizen can openly threaten to lock up another citizen and throw away the keys, as the judge of his own case?
For years, Burna Boy has been associated with mindless violence. Here’s a report by the Daily Post: “Nigerian musician Damini ‘Burna Boy’ Ogulu brutally kicked a fan who jumped on stage at the Greater Lagos 2024 concert. The incident happened on New Year’s Eve. The excited fan made his way to the stage, apparently to hug the music star. However, Burna Boy responded by delivering a kick that landed the fan on the ground.”
Can you imagine Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who earns in a week what Burna Boy won’t earn in years, assaulting any fan? Ronaldo has hugged and taken selfies with pitch invaders on countless occasions. The fan erred, but Burna Boy then put the utter darkness of his heart on full display, proving that his ghastly look is an exact mirror of his soul. My advice to the fan: The next time you dare to hug, hug someone that has decency, not a haughty dunce. It would be safer and more decent to hug a hound than the callous clown who thinks a Grammy, a foreign award which has nothing to do with Africa or its music, entitles him to a life of rudeness and violence.
Here’s another report, published in June 2022: “The married lady who was assaulted and whose husband and colleagues were shot at by Burna Boy’s aides, has broken the silence. The woman, who was identified as Briella Neme, explained that the incident has left her traumatized, more so, seeing the lack of remorse or accountability on the singer’s part. She said, “On the 8th of June 2022, @burnaboygram & his friends opened fire at us in @cubanalagos. My partner and his friend were shot, both needing urgent medical care.”
Lacking self-awareness, Burna Boy wrote following the Lekki shooting: “I HAVE NOT SLEPT since 20/10/2020. I close my eyes and all I see is Lekki toll gate. I’ve seen a lot of violence and death in my life but this is the one that has traumatised me.” I laugh in Swahili!
Here’s a January 2, 2023 headline by the People’s Gazette: “God punish una: Burna Boy humiliates fans who protested his late arrival at Lagos concert”. Listen: “Grammy-winning Afrobeats singer Burna Boy is trending on the Internet following the emergence of a video that shows him humiliating concertgoers, who paid up to N3 million for complaining that he arrived late at a Lagos concert…Instead of apologising, Burna Boy declared that he only decided to attend the concert out of goodwill and that he would have gone home if not for pleas from upcoming Afrobeats sensation Seyi Vibez.”
Utterly megalomaniac, Burna Boy is the type of person the Yoruba call alagbara-ma-mero, the unthinking man of power. Apparently, he has power to decree prison for his opponents, so is it death he will decree next? When he is not trying to prove, in his mental disease, that pop singer David Adeleke, a US-born singer who is apparently wealthier and more well-behaved, does not have money, he is insulting his elders in the music industry. He won a Grammy but lacks the slightest gram of modesty. What a tragedy. Burna Boy made his fame from Afrobeats but speaks disparagingly about it. I detest these pretenders whose so-called live performance is mere pantomime, but the fans love it. And they are weary with wine and women.
Re: A professor’s campaign of hate against (Yoruba) Christians
I am Kehinde Adediran from Oyo town. I went through your write-up titled “A professor’s campaign of hate (Yoruba) Christians” and wish to thank you profoundly for it. I really don’t know why and how an educated person like Akintola can be so bigoted and fanatical to the extent of championing the establishment of Sharia law in our peaceful South-West. Please, let me ask him. Is there peace in the states of northern Nigeria where Sharia law is being practised? Once again, I appreciate your response. Thank you. I pray God to grant you more knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. 0703 545 7500
I read your piece on MURIC. Well, he’s winding up sooner than expected. Those who sponsor him will never be able to rescue him as divine judgement falls. I’ve noticed his outburst for a while. Nothing can be done against the truth but for the Truth. Samson: 0810 889 1255.
•Written By Abiodun Awolaja
