Nigerian dancer Pascal Odinaka, known widely as Poco Lee, is currently being held on remand in a United Kingdom prison, with his next court appearance, a plea hearing, scheduled for the second week of September, where he’ll indicate whether he intends to plead guilty or not guilty.
The update came from Benjamin Kuti, a UK-based Nigerian community advocate known as Oluomo of Derby, who confirmed the reports via his X account. “I can confirm that the reports are true. Poco Lee is currently on remand in a UK prison,” he wrote, adding that he plans to attend the court proceedings himself as part of his broader effort to support Nigerians in the UK navigating difficult legal situations. He was careful to frame the update within the presumption of innocence. “It is important that we allow the legal process to take its course. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,” he said.
News of the arrest, which first circulated on social media in mid-August, has drawn a wave of public reaction from figures in Nigerian entertainment, most of it sympathetic to Poco Lee personally while carefully avoiding direct comment on the specifics of the case. Media personality Rahman Jago described the news as heartbreaking, framing it as inconsistent with the person he knows. “Seeing my brother go through such a serious and painful situation is heartbreaking. I know the person he is, and I truly believe there is more to this situation than what people may have heard,” he wrote, urging people not to treat the moment as an opportunity for attention and asking for support rather than judgment.
Not every reaction landed smoothly. Director TG Omori posted his own message of sadness, writing that Poco Lee was “the purest soul I have ever met” and attributing the situation to the devil working “overtime.” That framing drew pushback from other commentators who felt it deflected from any accountability for the alleged conduct itself. Artist Ycee was among those who pushed back directly, without disputing the sentiment of support but rejecting the specific explanation Omori offered. “You cannot always blame the devil for the actions of men,” he wrote.
As of now, the specific allegations remain unresolved through any court process, and no plea has yet been entered. What’s playing out publicly in the meantime is less about the legal case itself and more about how Poco Lee’s circle is choosing to respond, with expressions of personal loyalty sitting somewhat uneasily alongside public reminders that the underlying claims still need to be tested in court.
