Nigerian afropop stars Tiwa Savage and Davido are making headlines this week, but not for their music. Savage has filed a lawsuit against Davido, accusing him of threatening and harassing her online after she posted a video with one of his former partners.
According to court documents obtained by media outlets, Savage claims Davido sent her threatening direct messages on Instagram after she uploaded a video of herself socializing with Sophia Momodu, the mother of one of Davido’s daughters. Savage alleges Davido demanded she take down the video immediately and threatened unspecified actions if she refused.
“He accused me of trying to tarnish his reputation by associating with his ex and said I would regret it if I didn’t remove the post,” Savage stated in an affidavit. “I took the threats seriously and removed the post, but I refuse to be intimidated by bullying and violence.”
This is not the first sign of bad blood between the two Afrobeats stars, who have been rumored to be feuding over the past year as they both rose to prominence in Nigeria and abroad. Davido has not directly responded to the lawsuit but did post vague threats on Twitter after it was reported in the news.
The lawsuit comes at a sensitive time for Davido, who is trying to move past a scandal involving three women who accused him of impregnating and abandoning them. Savage seems to imply in her lawsuit that Davido did not want her friendship with Sophia to bring more media attention to that controversy.
Reps for Davido have not commented officially on the lawsuit. Savage is seeking a restraining order and damages for emotional distress. The case will likely play out publicly in upcoming weeks, as both singers have huge media profiles in Nigeria and fans across the world.