South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla has quietly removed the Lagos stop from her upcoming APOP World Tour following intense online backlash and boycott calls.
The concert, which was originally scheduled for December 22 as part of her wider global tour supporting her sophomore album APOP, has disappeared from official ticketing platforms and her tour website.
The initial tour announcement sparked heated debates on Nigerian social media. A strong campaign emerged calling for a boycott over renewed reports of xenophobic tensions and attacks targeting Nigerians in South Africa.
he backlash intensified significantly after Nigerian activist Martins Vincent Otse (popularly known as VeryDarkMan) posted a video statement threatening to mobilize his movement to physically block and shut down the concert if it moved forward. He argued that it was insensitive to stage a major commercial show while citizens continued to face hostility in South Africa.
Public figures and activists split on the issue. Some prominent voices and content creators argued the show should not proceed as a form of protest and solidarity, while others—including activist Omoyele Sowore—pushed back against the boycott, arguing that artists should not be held accountable for broader geopolitical and societal tensions.
Neither Tyla nor her management team has released an official statement explaining the removal or confirming whether the show is permanently cancelled or postponed.
