Court Orders Arrest of Social Media Activist VeryDarkMan Over Defamation Case
An Abuja Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6 has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media personality Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM). The ruling came on Thursday in response to a criminal defamation case filed against him by gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
Presiding over the case, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed law enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, to apprehend and present VDM in court. The court emphasized that he failed to honor a summons issued on March 5, requiring his appearance.
Legal Battle Over Alleged Defamatory Statements
VDM is facing allegations of defamation following claims he made on social media regarding Mercy Chinwo. He allegedly accused the gospel singer of financial misconduct, linking her to a contractual dispute involving $345,000 with her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (Eezee Tee).
Chinwo, maintaining her innocence, provided documentary evidence, including emails and payment records, to refute the allegations. Her legal team, led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, argued that VDM’s statements violated Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(B) of the Cybercrime Act (2015).
Additional Legal Action
In a separate legal move, Chinwo’s team has filed a ₦1.1 billion lawsuit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. The lawsuit demands that VDM retract his statements, delete the defamatory posts, and issue a public apology.
Despite efforts from VDM’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, to delay the arrest and personally present his client at the next hearing, the court denied the request. With this latest development, all eyes are on how the case unfolds.
