Veteran folk singer Beautiful Nubia has publicly accused gospel musicians Yinka Ayefele and fast-rising act BBO of infringing on the copyright of his classic 1997 song ‘Seven Lifes.’
The folk star, whose real name is Segun Akinlolu, took to his X account on Thursday to voice his frustration, alleging that both artistes lifted the melody from his hit without permission or credit .
Beautiful Nubia specifically called out Yinka Ayefele’s 2012 track ‘My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti)’ and a 2026 song titled ‘Amin’ by singer Bakare Boluwatife Oluwatobi, known as BBO. He argued that both songs derived their core melodies from his original work.
“There was Yinka Ayefele with ‘My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti)’ in 2012 and now someone called BBO with ‘Amin’ this year. Both stole their melodies from our original song ‘Seven Lifes’,” he wrote.
He further questioned when Nigerian musicians, particularly gospel artistes, would begin to respect copyright laws. In a follow-up post, Beautiful Nubia doubled down on his allegation, stating, “Respect copyright. Respect basic laws. Stealing na stealing, e no get another name” .
As of the time of this report, neither Ayefele nor BBO has issued a public response to the allegations .
The dispute adds to the list of copyright clashes in the Nigerian gospel scene. In a prominent 2024 case, gospel singer Sinach was sued by music producer Michael Oluwole (Maye), who claimed co-authorship of her international hit ‘Way Maker’ . Sinach defended herself, asserting she was the sole author of the track .
