Song theft: Davido gets 21-day court order to respond to accusations

Song theft: Davido gets 21-day court order to respond to accusations

A U.S. federal court has given Nigerian music superstar David ‘Davido’ Adeleke 21 days to respond to a copyright infringement lawsuit accusing him of stealing a song from a group of Nigerian artists.

The case, filed at the United States District Court in Manhattan on April 4, was brought by Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru.

The four allege that Davido copied their 2022 song Work to create his 2024 track Strawberry on Ice.

Also named in the lawsuit are Sierra Leonean artist Emmerson (Emmerson Amidu Bockarie), who featured on the song, and other contributors including Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records, the label responsible for publishing and distributing the track.

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According to court documents, the plaintiffs initially shared Work with Davido in January 2022 in hopes of securing a collaboration. However, they allege that instead of working with them, Davido gave the song to Emmerson, who then “sampled its vocals and instrumentals to create Strawberry on Ice without permission.”

After attempts to resolve the matter privately, the plaintiffs claim the Grammy nominee reached a settlement agreement on March 14, 2025.

The deal reportedly included a payment of $45,000 and a royalty breakdown—“40% for the song’s composition and 20% for the recording.” However, Davido allegedly failed to meet the agreed March 24 deadline for honoring the settlement.

As a result, the plaintiffs are asking the court for $150,000 in damages and legal recognition of their contributions: “40% of the compositional rights and 20% of the recording rights for Strawberry on Ice.” They are also seeking an injunction to prevent the “Feel It” crooner and his collaborators from further infringement or similar actions in the future.

Davido has yet to make a public statement regarding the lawsuit, while Wynn Records also declined to comment when contacted.

 

Song theft: Davido gets 21-day court order to respond to accusations