Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Social Media Influencer VeryDarkMan Over Alleged Defamation Of Gospel Singer Mercy Chinwo

Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Social Media Influencer VeryDarkMan Over Alleged Defamation Of Gospel Singer Mercy Chinwo

An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over allegations of criminal defamation…….READ MORE

The order, issued on Thursday, March 13, stems from a lawsuit filed by gospel singer Mercy Chinwo, accusing VDM of making defamatory statements against her. In his ruling, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other law enforcement agencies to apprehend VDM and present him before the court in Zone 6, Abuja.

The court noted that VDM had failed to honor a summons issued on March 5. Despite an appeal from his legal counsel, Deji Adeyanju, requesting time to bring his client to court voluntarily, the judge upheld the arrest warrant.

The allegations against VDM include claims that he posted defamatory remarks on social media, accusing Chinwo of misappropriating $345,000 from her former record label boss, Eezee Tee. Chinwo refuted the allegations, presenting documentary evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to substantiate her defense.

Her legal team, led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, argues that VDM’s actions violate Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(B) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.

Additionally, Chinwo has filed a ₦1.1 billion lawsuit against VDM at the Abuja High Court. The suit seeks a court order compelling him to retract his statements, delete the alleged defamatory posts, and issue a public apology.

VDM has faced previous defamation suits. In a prior case involving human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, rapper Folarin Falana (Falz), a court ordered VDM to take down an allegedly defamatory video he posted on September 24. The court also restrained him from making further defamatory statements against the Falanas, pending the resolution of the case.

In that matter, the plaintiffs sought ₦500 million each in damages, alleging that VDM falsely claimed they had received ₦10 million from Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky) to manipulate a legal case.

With these mounting legal challenges, VDM continues to face serious legal scrutiny over his social media activities.