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Afrobeats Icon Davido Plans Legal Action Over Kenyan April Fool's Prank Gone Wrong
Louis Buyisiwe
Thursday, April 4, 2024
In an unexpected turn of events, Nigerian Afrobeats sensation, Davido, is set to take legal action following an April Fool's joke that spiraled out of control. The prank, initially aired by Kenya's K24 TV, falsely claimed the musician had been detained in Kenya with cocaine discovered on his private aircraft.
Davido, the 31-year-old Afrobeats star renowned for his dynamic East African tours, vehemently dismissed the allegations as "extremely irresponsible". On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Davido clarified,
"I have never been arrested by anyone in any country for any crime in the world. Not in my homeland Nigeria, my home America, or in any of the numerous countries I've embraced throughout my career."
The BBC Africa Live provided ongoing updates as the story unfolded, highlighting the widespread reaction across social media platforms. The fabricated report gained traction following Davido's electrifying performances at the Timeless Concert in Kampala and Raha Fest in Nairobi, leading to an onslaught of inquiries from concerned fans.
The situation escalated to the point where Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) felt compelled to intervene, denouncing the report as "Fake News" via a tweet containing a screenshot of the misleading headline.
Davido reassured his fan base on Tuesday, stating,
I want to assure my fans that these reports are entirely untrue. I successfully completed my scheduled shows in Uganda and Kenya and have since returned home to Nigeria," I emphasized the gravity of concocting such serious international crime allegations, even under the guise of April Fool's humor, and confirmed that my legal team is pursuing action against the media outlets involved in propagating this false narrative.
As of now, K24 TV has yet to comment on the impending legal confrontation. The prank, deemed distasteful by many Kenyans, has sparked a dialogue on social media, with numerous voices expressing hope for an amicable resolution to this unfortunate debacle.