U.S. Court Gives Davido 21-Day Deadline Over Alleged Song Theft

Afrobeats superstar Davido has landed in legal trouble as the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has handed him a 21-day ultimatum over allegations of intellectual property theft.

According to a report by People’s Gazette, four Nigerian artists—Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru—have filed a lawsuit claiming that Davido’s 2024 track “Strawberry on Ice” was a rip-off of their original 2022 song titled “Work.”

The plaintiffs allege that they had earlier pitched the song to Davido for a possible collaboration, but instead of working with them, Davido allegedly handed it off to Emmerson, who then reproduced and sampled major vocal and instrumental elements to create the now-controversial track. The suit also names other collaborators on the song—Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records—as co-defendants.

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Court documents reveal that Davido had initially agreed to settle the matter out of court. He reportedly promised a $45,000 lump sum payment and to grant the plaintiffs 40% of royalties for the composition and 20% of royalties for the sound recording of “Strawberry on Ice.” However, he allegedly missed the agreed March 24 payment deadline, prompting legal escalation.

With the court now issuing a 21-day deadline, Davido and his legal team are expected to respond swiftly—or risk further consequences.