Nigerian music star Davido has instructed his lawyers to sue over an April Fool’s joke that has spectacularly backfired.
The prank story alleged that Afrobeats singer had been arrested in Kenya after cocaine was found on his private jet.
The 31-year-old, who has just finished an East African tour, said the fake report was “extremely irresponsible”.
“I have never been arrested by anyone in any country for any crime in the world,” he said on social media.
“Not my home Nigeria, my home America, or any of the hundreds of countries I’ve made home throughout my career,” his statement on X, formerly Twitter, continued.
The April Fool’s story – first published by Kenya’s K24 TV on Monday – went viral on social media.
The Nigerian megastar, who had just performed to packed audiences at the Timeless Concert in Kampala and Raha Fest in Nairobi, said it led to him receiving a barrage of calls.
Such was the backlash that Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) tweeted a screengrab of the headline with “Fake News” stamped across it mid-morning on Monday.
“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,” Davido said on Tuesday.
“I find the fabrication of allegations of such international crimes extremely irresponsible regardless of the light of ‘April Fools’, and my lawyer is seeking legal recourse against the media parties responsible for generating this misinformation.”
K24 TV has not responded to Davido’s move to initiate legal action.
Many Kenyans felt the prank was inappropriate, but some have been commenting on social media that they hope the debacle can be resolved amicably.