Celebrity chef Hilda Baci, real name Hilda Effiong Bassey, has threatened legal action against Afrobeats singer, Seyi Vibez after he made a series of disparaging claims about her on social media. 

The Guinness World Record holder, through her lawyers at the Lagos law firm Olaniwun Ajayi LP, sent a formal demand letter to the singer on August 15, accusing him of publishing defamatory and malicious content and citing possible violations under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.

The controversy stemmed from an online dispute between Seyi Vibez, whose real name is Afolabi Oluwaseyi Balogun, and his former record label boss Damilola Akinwunmi, popularly known as Dapper, over allegations of unpaid royalties and contract breaches.

While venting about the dispute in two now deleted posts on August 14, the singer dragged Hilda Baci into the matter, claiming that food she had given Dapper nearly killed him and further alleging, in a separate post, that catalogue money owed to him and other artistes had been spent on a cosmetic procedure for the chef.

In her legal team’s letter, Hilda Baci demanded an immediate takedown of the posts, a public apology and retraction across all of Seyi Vibez’s social media platforms, and a call for his followers to stop harassing her. The letter noted that the posts had generated millions of views and led to online harassment directed at the chef, and gave the singer three days to provide a written undertaking confirming compliance, warning that failure to do so would result in legal enforcement action.

Following the receipt of the letter, Seyi Vibez took down the disputed posts from his X account, though he has continued to publicly criticise Dapper over the unresolved royalty dispute.

His removal of the posts did not go unnoticed online, with social media users mocking him for deleting what they described as evidence. It remains to be seen whether the singer will fully meet Hilda Baci’s demands or whether the dispute will proceed to court.