In a legal development with far-reaching implications for the global music industry, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has ordered Nigerian music superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, to appear within 21 days to answer allegations of intellectual property theft.
The suit, filed by four emerging Nigerian artists—Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru—centers on a claim that Davido illegally appropriated their 2022 song, Work, to create his 2024 hit track, Strawberry on Ice.
The plaintiffs allege that they shared the demo with Davido in 2022 in hopes of a collaborative project that could catapult them into the mainstream. Rather than engage with the artists, they claim, Davido allegedly passed the material to Sierra Leonean singer Emmerson Bockarie—known professionally as Emmerson—who, alongside other collaborators, sampled key vocal and instrumental elements from the demo to produce Strawberry on Ice.
Also named in the suit are Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records—the company responsible for publishing and distributing the contested song.
According to People Gazette, court documents reveal that after months of silence, Davido acknowledged the issue and reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs in March 2025.
The agreement stipulated a $45,000 lump-sum payment and shared royalties: 40 percent of composition rights and 20 percent of sound recording rights. However, the plaintiffs claim the singer reneged on this settlement, prompting them to initiate legal action on April 4.
The lawsuit seeks not only $150,000 in damages but also the official transfer of the agreed copyright shares to the plaintiffs. Additionally, the artists have requested an injunction barring Davido and his collaborators from further infringing upon their work, including any future intellectual property belonging to them.
This case underscores the growing scrutiny of copyright protections in the transnational music landscape and raises pressing questions about how intellectual property rights are respected across borders—even among Africa’s biggest stars.
