Beautiful Nubia Alleges Copyright Breach Against Ayefele, BBO

Nigerian folk musician Segun Akinlolu, widely known as Beautiful Nubia, has accused Gospel Artistes Yinka Ayefele and BBO of copyright infringement, alleging that they appropriated the core melody of his song, Seven Lifes, without authorization.

Global Mirror News gathered that the singer made the allegation in a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday. According to him, Ayefele’s 2012 track, My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti), and BBO’s recently released 2026 single, Amin, bear striking melodic similarities to his earlier composition.

In his post, Beautiful Nubia questioned the commitment of Nigerian musicians—particularly those in the gospel genre—to intellectual property compliance and creative ethics.

“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’. When will Nigerians (especially the so-called Gospel musicians) learn to respect copyright?” he wrote.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Ayefele nor BBO had issued an official response to the allegation.

The development underscores ongoing concerns over intellectual property rights within Nigeria’s music industry, particularly in the gospel music space, where disputes over authorship and originality have surfaced in recent years.

In 2024, internationally acclaimed gospel singer Sinach was embroiled in a legal dispute with producer Michael Oluwole, who claimed co-authorship of her globally successful song Way Maker.

Sinach refuted the claim, asserting sole authorship and noting that the song had attained international acclaim prior to the producer’s alleged involvement.

Industry stakeholders have repeatedly called for stronger enforcement of copyright laws and heightened awareness among artistes regarding musical originality and licensing protocols to curb recurring disputes.