Mp3bullet.ng presents Nigerian Music Artists who have been arrested In a foreign country.
Many Nigerian entertainers have undoubtedly travelled to foreign countries, particularly popular music artists, and some have been gotten arrested.
While some of these arrests happened before they were famous, others had trouble with the law during the peak of their career.
In this article, Mp3bullet.ng highlights popular Nigerian artists who have been arrested in countries other than Nigeria.
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Dammy Krane
Dammy Krane was projected to be the next great thing in Nigerian music. He was signed to 2baba’s Hypertek recordings and was on his way to becoming one of Nigeria’s top stars until his arrest in 2017.
He was accused by an American jet firm, Tapjets, of trying to charter a private jet with them using five different credit cards that did not belong to him.
He was arrested and charged with theft, credit card fraud, and fraud in Miami. He was eventually freed from jail after completing his bail terms, which were set at $7,500. He has pled not guilty to the allegations and has asked for a jury trial. The case was dismissed by the court.
Burna Boy
While most people remember Burna Boy’s biggest issue with the law to be when fellow artist, Mr 2Kay was attacked by a mob said to have been hired by his road manager, however, that wasn’t Burna’s first time facing the law.
A young Burna was allegedly implicated in a gang-related stabbing in London in 2010, which resulted in the death of one individual. He was tried as a minor, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
On the basis of good behaviour, the musician was granted parole eleven months into his sentence.
He allegedly broke the terms of his parole and returned to Nigeria to pursue a music career.
Omah Lay
Rising talent Stanley Omah Didia, popularly known as Omah Lay, was jailed in Uganda for violating COVID-19 guidelines on his first travel out of the nation.
He was detained alongside Tems, Muyiwa Awoniyi, and the event promoters. Omah Lay was released from police custody after two days in jail. He could have been sentenced to up to seven years in prison without the possibility of a fine if convicted.
During an interview, Omah Lay revealed that he wouldn’t mind visiting the country again despite the whole controversy.
Tems
Temilade Opaniyi and Omah Lay were detained in Uganda for performing during the COVID-19 outbreak. To protest her arrest, the artist who is known as Tems went on a hunger strike.
She was later released after requests from Nigerians and celebrities for her and Omah Lay to be released.
Tems, upon her return to Nigeria, accused Ugandan musician Bebe Cool of organizing their arrest and pretending to free them.
Bella Shmurda
On the 4th of September, 2021, news broke out Bella Shmurda was arrested, fined 2000 Ghana cedis, and deported to Nigeria by Ghanaian authories.
He was arrested and deported for assaulting a medical staff with a fork after being informed that he tested positive with COVID-19 and would have to be quarantined.
However, the 24-year-old artist made his way to New York City a few hours after the incident, where he said he tested negative for Covid-19.
Bella Shmurda took to Instagram to throw subtle jabs at Ghana after his Covid-19 test in New York came out negative, saying it was shocking that he tested negative in New York after testing positive in Ghana.
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Sinzu
In the early 2010s, Sinzu, formerly known as Saucekid, was one of the most popular and promising rappers in the Nigerian music Industry.
He was arrested in 2016 on charges of theft and other connected offences.
He allegedly took $15,388 from unsuspecting individuals using bank card numbers and the owners’ personal information.
When the Carolina singe was apprehended, he had $6000 in cash and a gadget for programming bank cards. He was imprisoned for two years. After his release, he tweeted that he committed the crime and served his sentence.
He was released in 2018 and signed to Davido’s DMW record label.