The organisers of the annual ‘Warri Again Concert’, Brownhill Investments Company Limited, have instituted a N2.3bn suit against hip-hop artiste, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, over an alleged breach of agreement/contract entered into between them.
Brownhill Investments Company Limited, owned by a former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr Amaju Pinnick, filed the suit marked EHC/183/2023 before the Delta State High Court in Effurun.
The claimant, through its lawyer, Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem, is asking the court to award N2bn as general damages against Davido and his his music label, Davido Music Worldwide Limited.
The claimant is praying the court to award against Davido the sum of N150m as legal and professional fees and an additional sum of N30m as the cost of filing the suit.
It also wants the court to order the singer “to tender a public apology on all the 1st defendant’s social media accounts/handles and in two national daily newspapers for four consecutive days, to the claimant and attendees.”
In its statement of claim, the claimant stated that sometime in early 2023, Davido approached Pinnick, when they met at the Abuja Airport and asked to be engaged for the 19th edition of the ‘Warri Again Concert’ event to be held on October 6, 2023.
The claimant said Pinnick was hesitant to grant the request, he eventually did and they agreed on N70m as Davido’s performance fee.
It said that thereafter, the sum of US$94,500.00 (an equivalent of N70m) was paid on April 6, 2023, and the same was duly acknowledged by the defendants.
It said after the payment, Davido did a promotional video ahead of the event but he eventually failed to show up on the day of the event.
The claimant stated that it expended humongous resources on print and social media adverts and promotions for the event, adding that on September 29, 2023, precisely a week before the slated date of the event, a formal letter of reminder was sent to the Davido in respect of the event, which contained flight itinerary of the private jet chartered to personally convey him and his team to and from Warri, Delta State for the event, thereby incurring additional expenses of $18,000.
It stated, however, that all attempts to reach Davido and his team on the day of the event, October 6, 2023, were futile, adding that it kept the private jet chartered to convey Davido and his team to Warri at the Airport in Lagos on standby should they eventually show up.
Consequently, Pinnick’s company is asking for the payment of $94,500 as full payment for engaging the services of Davido.