Alleged Criminal Defamation: Abuja Court Orders Arrest of VeryDarkMan

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse Zone 6 in Abuja, on Thursday, issued an arrest warrant for social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, VDM. following a N1.1billion criminal defamation case brought against him by renowned female gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo.

According to Vanguard, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana in his ruling ordered the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and produce him before the court to answer to criminal allegations that were leveled against him by the gospel singer.

The court noted that the defendant had failed to honor a summon it issued on March 5, which directed him to appear for the proceeding. Counsel to the defendant, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, who was present in court, tried to plead for the order to be rescinded to no avail begging the court to allow him to personally produce his client on the next adjourned date.

Case Details

VDM was alleged to have made defamatory statements against the singer through his social media page. The posts by VDM made in February had claimed that Mercy  Chinwo diverted funds from shows to the tune of  $345,000 without paying her former record label, boss Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.

In response to the allegation which she described as not only false but also injurious to her public image and reputation, the gospel singer, produced before the court, documentary evidence that included emails and payment receipts, in a bid to establish her innocence with her team of lawyers led by Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, insisting that the defendant’s action was contrary to Sections 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24 (1)(B) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.

Mercy Chinwo’s counsel thereafter instituted a N1.1billion  criminal defamation suit against VDM before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in addition to praying the court to compel the defendant to delete, retract, and issue a public apology for all the alleged false and defamatory statements he made against Chinwo and her brand.