Nigerian music couple Adekunle Gold and Simi were at the centre of two major developments reported on Friday, May 16, 2026, involving a court case over false online claims about their daughter and fresh comments by Adekunle Gold about living with sickle cell disease.
A social media user identified as Samuel Adeboye Adeyeye, known online as “Swanky,” was sentenced to prison for spreading false information about the couple’s six-year-old daughter, Deja.
The report stated that Adeyeye circulated claims online that the child had died from a rare genetic illness known as Canavan disease. Investigators later found the claim to be false.
The matter was reported to security agencies by the family, leading to Adeyeye’s arrest and arraignment before the court.
During the proceedings, prosecutors presented digital evidence which they said showed the information had been deliberately fabricated to damage the family’s reputation and cause emotional distress.
Adeyeye pleaded guilty during the hearing and appealed for leniency before sentencing. Eventually, the court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine.
In a separate development reported the same day, Adekunle Gold spoke publicly about his long struggle with sickle cell disease during an interview with media personality Angela Yee.
The singer, whose real name is Adekunle Kosoko, recalled a severe health crisis he experienced at the age of 20.
“At 20, I had the craziest crisis of my life. I told God to take my life,” he said.
He added that the pain was so serious that his mother, who usually corrected him for making negative statements, remained silent at the time.
“My mom couldn’t even rebuke me. It got to a point where it felt like the only thing that made sense should just happen,” he said.
Adekunle Gold also spoke about the public perception of people living with sickle cell disease, saying many people respond to them with pity.
“They look at me like I’m going to die soon,” the singer said while encouraging greater understanding of people living with the condition.
