Defamation: Court Orders VeryDarkMan’s Arrest
An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 6 has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of controversial social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The order follows a criminal defamation case filed against him by gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to arrest the defendant and produce him before the court to answer to the allegations.
The warrant was issued after VDM failed to appear for proceedings despite being summoned on March 5.
VDM’s counsel, Deji Adeyanju, who was present in court, pleaded for the order to be vacated and assured the court that he would personally produce his client at the next hearing.
However, Magistrate Iyana declined the request and upheld the arrest warrant.
The case stems from allegations that VDM made defamatory statements against Chinwo on his social media page.
The activist reportedly claimed that the singer was involved in a contractual dispute and had diverted $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (Eezee Tee).
Chinwo, describing the allegations as false and damaging to her reputation, presented documentary evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to disprove the claims.
Her legal team, led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, argued that VDM’s actions violated Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(B) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.
In addition to the criminal case, Chinwo has also filed a ₦1.1 billion lawsuit against VDM at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. She is seeking a court order compelling the activist to delete, retract, and publicly apologize for the alleged defamatory statements.
With the court-ordered arrest warrant now in effect, the case has drawn significant attention, as law enforcement agencies move to enforce the order.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
