U.S. Court Summons Davido Over Alleged Song Theft and $45,000 Debt

• Nigerian artists Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru filed a lawsuit alleging that Davido stole their 2022 song ‘Work’ and used it in his 2024 track.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan has ordered Nigerian singer Davido (David Adeleke) to appear before it within 21 days to answer charges related to intellectual property theft.

The lawsuit was filed by 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’ and used it to create his 2024 track ‘Strawberry on Ice.’

The suit names Davido, along with Emmerson Amidu Bockarie (known professionally as Emmerson), who was featured on Davido’s track, and others involved in the distribution and publishing of “Strawberry on Ice,” including Carlos Jenkins, Matthew Quinney, Marques Miles II, and Wynn Records.

According to legal documents obtained by Peoples Gazette, the dispute started in January 2022 when the plaintiffs, hoping for a potential collaboration, shared a demo of their song ‘Work’ with Davido. However, they allege that instead of collaborating, Davido took the demo to Emmerson, who then sampled elements of the song without permission, ultimately leading to the creation of ‘Strawberry on Ice’.

Efforts to resolve the matter amicably were made, and an agreement was reached in March 2025, wherein Davido promised to pay $45,000 and grant the plaintiffs 40% of the royalties from the composition and 20% from the sound recording of the song. However, Davido failed to meet the deadline for payment in March 2025.

In response to this breach, the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in New York on April 4, 2025, seeking a ruling on copyright infringement, as well as $150,000 in damages. They are also requesting a transfer of 40% of the compositional copyright and 20% of the sound recording copyright of ‘Strawberry on Ice’ to them. Additionally, they are asking the court to prevent any further infringement of their copyrights or the use of their work in the future.

This case highlights the ongoing legal and ethical concerns surrounding intellectual property rights within the music industry.