Bebe Cool has denied accusations that he was responsible for the 2020 arrest of Nigerian artists Tems and Omah Lay during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Speaking on the Afrobeats Podcast with Adesope, Bebe Cool clarified his role in the incident, stating that rather than getting them arrested, he actually worked to secure their release.
Tems and Omah Lay were detained after performing at the Big Brunch event in Uganda, an event that allegedly violated COVID-19 restrictions.
Following their arrest, many including the artists themselves blamed Bebe Cool, claiming he had called the police on them. The speculation came from a post he had made prior to the event, criticizing it for going forward while Ugandan artists were still barred from performing.
According to Bebe Cool, he first learned of the arrests when a friend, Bushingtone, called him at 3 a.m. seeking help.
First and foremost, I didn’t get them arrested in Uganda. It’s very difficult when the internet picks on a story in a direction next to impossible to turn it around.
He claimed that, upon hearing the news, he immediately began making calls and personally went to the police station to understand the situation. He questioned why the Nigerian artists had been arrested instead of the event organizers, especially since Uganda’s COVID-19 regulations allowed gatherings of up to 200 people.
