Nigerian dancer and hypeman Iweh Pascal Odinaka, better known as Poco Lee, has spoken publicly for the first time since reports that he had regained his freedom in the United Kingdom, insisting he is innocent even as prosecutors confirm the criminal case against him remains unresolved and a court date stands for Monday, 15 September 2026.
The entertainer made the comments during a video call with the social commentator Martins Otse, popularly called VeryDarkMan, shared online on Sunday, 14 September. In the recording, Poco Lee said his conscience was clear and described his time away as an ordeal he endured because he knew he had not committed the offence alleged against him. “My mind is pure,” he said, adding that his main worry throughout had been the welfare of his associates and their businesses, and naming the singer Burna Boy and the socialite Rahman Jago among those who stood by him.
That appearance followed a separate video posted on Saturday, in which Poco Lee was seen alongside Burna Boy. VeryDarkMan described the footage as proof that the dancer was out of custody. The clips are the clearest public sign so far that he is no longer being held, but an important qualification applies: neither the circumstances nor the conditions of his reported release have been confirmed by any UK authority, and it is not established on the public record whether he was released on bail, on what terms, or by what process.
That distinction matters because the case itself is far from over. The Crown Prosecution Service, responding to enquiries on Saturday, 12 September, confirmed that the matter is still live and that Odinaka is still expected to appear before Snaresbrook Crown Court on 15 September for a plea and trial preparation hearing. The prosecution service did not confirm his custody or bail status, and it did not confirm claims circulating online that the complainant had withdrawn from the case or that a settlement had been reached. Suggestions that Burna Boy or Rahman Jago helped secure his release have likewise not been confirmed by either the musicians or the authorities.
The charges are serious. Court records show Poco Lee faces five sexual offences: one count of attempted rape, two counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration. The confirmation came from Snaresbrook Crown Court’s administration, which also noted that a reporting restriction has been imposed to protect the anonymity of the complainant under Section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992. That law grants automatic lifelong anonymity to complainants in sexual offence cases, and it is why the woman at the centre of the matter cannot be named. Poco Lee has not been convicted of any offence, and the allegations remain to be determined by the court.
The case dates to the entertainer’s visit to Britain in August. He had travelled to perform at the Davido and Friends concert held at the Crystal Palace Bowl in London on 14 August. He first appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 18 August, after which the matter was sent to Snaresbrook Crown Court, and public reports of his detention began to spread from 19 August. The proceedings have been closely followed in Nigeria and among Nigerians abroad, given his standing as one of the most visible figures in the country’s entertainment scene, with a career built around high-energy stage performances and collaborations with leading Afrobeats acts.
The hearing now set for Monday is a defined stage in English criminal procedure rather than a trial. At a plea and trial preparation hearing, the counts are formally put to the defendant, who is asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. If a not guilty plea is entered, the court sets a timetable for disclosure of evidence and eventual trial; a guilty plea would move the case towards sentencing. On the widely shared claim that the complainant may no longer wish to proceed, one point of law is worth noting for context: in England and Wales, once a person has been charged, the decision to continue or discontinue a prosecution rests with the Crown Prosecution Service and not with the complainant. A complainant’s reluctance can affect the strength of a case, but it does not automatically end it, which is consistent with the prosecution’s own statement that the matter remains active.
For now, the verifiable position can be stated plainly. Poco Lee faces five sexual offence charges in the UK. A court hearing is fixed for 15 September. He has publicly denied the allegation. Reports that he has been released are supported by video footage but have not been officially confirmed, and the prosecution says the case is still live. Everything beyond that, including the claims of a withdrawal and of intervention by fellow entertainers, sits in the realm of unconfirmed assertion.
What happens on Monday will give the first authoritative indication of the case’s direction. If the hearing proceeds as listed, the plea entered and any bail conditions confirmed in open court will replace the current mix of social media claims with a matter of record. Until then, the safest reading is that a Nigerian entertainer is answering grave allegations he denies, that the process is continuing, and that no court has ruled on the truth of what is alleged.