Snaresbrook Crown Court in London has confirmed that Nigerian dancer and socialite Iweh Pascal Odinaka, known widely as Poco Lee, will appear in court on September 15, 2026, for a plea and trial preparation hearing linked to an assault allegation.
The court’s Admin Team Lead, James Baker, confirmed the listing in written correspondence to journalists on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Baker said the court could not release the exact time or courtroom until the day before the hearing. He noted that criminal court hearings are open to the public, though scheduling details follow standard court procedure.
Community leader Benjamin Kuti, known as the Oluomo of Derby and founder of a support group for Nigerians facing legal matters in the UK, said Poco Lee is currently on remand in a UK prison. Kuti said the dancer’s court date falls in the second week of September and will involve a plea hearing, where the defendant enters either a guilty or not-guilty plea. Kuti said he plans to attend the hearing himself, as he regularly does for Nigerians going through the UK legal system.
Neither the court nor the Nigerian community leaders who have spoken publicly have detailed the specific nature of the assault allegation against Poco Lee.
The case has drawn a range of responses from figures in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Rahman Jago, a close friend of Poco Lee, described the situation as heartbreaking. He asked the public not to use the dancer’s ordeal for social media attention and said he believes there is more to the story than what has been made public so far.
Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy addressed the arrest through an Instagram Story, saying Poco Lee had personally reached out to inform him of what happened. Burna Boy did not take a position on the allegation itself.
Naira Marley accused Poco Lee of betraying him and said Poco Lee shared his location with someone he was having a dispute with in the past. Naira Marley said he wants Poco Lee to face jail time and described him as someone who gathers information from people close to him and passes it to their rivals. These claims come from Naira Marley directly and have not been verified independently or tested through any legal process.
Social commentator Daniel Regha pointed to the silence from most of Poco Lee’s industry peers. He observed that many Nigerian celebrities who have worked with or promoted Poco Lee in the past have said nothing publicly, either in his defense or against him, since news of the case broke.
Poco Lee’s next scheduled court appearance remains September 15, 2026, at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London. The plea entered at that hearing will determine the direction of the case going forward. Exact timing and courtroom details are expected to be released the day before the hearing, in line with the court’s standard practice.
