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Beautiful Nubia calls out BBO and Yinka Ayefele over ‘melody theft’ of his song ‘Seven Lifes’
Nigerian folk legend Beautiful Nubia has sparked controversy online after accusing gospel musicians Yinka Ayefele and rising act BBO of lifting the melody of his 1997 classic Seven Lifes without permission.
Taking to X on Thursday, Beautiful Nubia, whose real name is Segun Akinlolu, expressed frustration over what he described as repeated copyright violations by gospel artists.
He specifically called out Ayefele’s 2012 track, My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti), and BBO’s 2026 release, Amin, claiming both borrowed the core melody from his original composition.
“There was Yinka Ayefele with My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti) in 2012 and now someone called BBO with Amin this year. Both stole their melodies from our original song Seven Lifes,” he wrote. “When will Nigerians (especially the so-called gospel musicians) learn to respect copyright?”
The folk singer’s comments highlight ongoing debates about intellectual property in Nigeria’s music industry, particularly regarding gospel artists’ adherence to copyright laws.
As of now, neither Yinka Ayefele nor BBO has publicly responded to the allegations, leaving fans and industry watchers waiting for a reaction.
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