The United States District Court in Manhattan has given Nigerian music star David ‘Davido’ Adeleke 21 days to respond to a lawsuit accusing him of intellectual property theft.
The lawsuit, filed on April 4, involves four Nigerian artists — Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru — who claim that Davido stole their 2022 song *Work* to create his 2024 release *Strawberry on Ice*.
Sierra Leonean singer Emmerson (Emmerson Amidu Bockarie), who featured on Davido’s track, along with Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records, which published and distributed the disputed song, are also named in the suit.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs initially shared *Work* with Davido in January 2022, hoping for a collaboration. However, they allege that Davido instead passed the track to Emmerson, who sampled its vocals and instrumentals to create *Strawberry on Ice* without their permission.
After several months of attempting to resolve the matter privately, the plaintiffs claim Davido agreed to a settlement on March 14, 2025. The agreement included a $45,000 payment and a royalty split — 40% for the song’s composition and 20% for the recording. However, the plaintiffs allege Davido failed to meet the March 24 deadline to honor the agreement.
As a result, the plaintiffs are seeking $150,000 in damages and legal recognition of their ownership: 40% of the compositional rights and 20% of the recording rights for *Strawberry on Ice*. They are also requesting that the court prevent Davido and his collaborators from further infringement or similar future actions.
Davido has not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit, and Wynn Records declined to provide a statement when contacted by Peoples Gazette.
