Senegal: arrest of activist Cheikh Nimaga aka Chico after a complaint by Sidiki Diabaté
Malian artist Sidiki Diabaté announced on December 4, 2025 that he had filed a complaint against Cheikh Nimaga, aka Chico, whom he accuses of repeated defamatory and insulting remarks. The man in question was handed over to Senegalese authorities and placed in police custody pending further proceedings.
The case between Sidiki Diabaté and Cheikh Nimaga, known as Chico, has taken a new judicial turn. The singer has officially instructed his lawyer, Maître Diagne, to initiate legal action after what he describes as “defamatory and insulting statements” made repeatedly against him.
According to a note issued by the law firm Sow-Seck-Diagne & Associés, Chico has already been detained and then handed over to Senegalese authorities. The document states that he is currently in the hands of the Senegalese justice system, where he will have to answer for the charges brought against him.
The firm also says it is following the proceedings and supporting the artist in the legal action taken. “The law will be upheld,” the statement concludes.