Renowned Nigerian folk musician Beautiful Nubia has accused gospel artistes Yinka Ayefele and emerging singer BBO of unlawfully reproducing the melody of his iconic track, Seven Lifes, without consent or proper attribution.
The singer, born Segun Akinlolu, raised the allegation via his official X account on Thursday, where he expressed concern over what he described as a recurring disregard for copyright within the Nigerian music industry.
He pointed specifically to Ayefele’s 2012 release My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti) and BBO’s 2026 song Amin, claiming that both tracks relied heavily on the melodic structure of his 1997 composition.
“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 stated.
The veteran musician also criticised what he termed a lack of respect for intellectual property, particularly among gospel performers.
“When will Nigerians (especially the so-called gospel musicians) learn to respect copyright?” he asked.
As at the time of publication, neither Yinka Ayefele nor BBO had released an official statement addressing the claims.
The controversy adds to a series of copyright-related disagreements that have surfaced in Nigeria’s gospel music scene in recent years.
Notably, in 2024, celebrated gospel singer Sinach faced a lawsuit from music producer Michael Oluwole (Maye), who alleged joint ownership of her globally acclaimed song Way Maker. Sinach, however, denied the claim, insisting she was the sole writer of the track.
