On Thursday, a bench warrant for the arrest of Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, VDM, a popular social media commentator, was issued by an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court located in Wuse Zone 6.
The arrest warrant came when Mercy Chinwo, a well-known female gospel singer, filed a criminal defamation lawsuit.
In his decision, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement
organizations to detainVerydarkman VDM and bring him before the court to respond to the criminal charges the
gospel musician had made against him.
The defendant was summoned on March 5 to attend the proceeding, but the court observed that he did not show up.
Despite a passionate plea by counsel to the defendant, Mr Deji Adeyanju, who was present in court, Magistrate Iyana
declined to vacate the arrest order.
Adeyanju had begged the court to allow him to personally produce his client on the next adjourned date.
Specifically, VDM was alleged to have made defamatory statements against the singer through his social media page.
It allegedly claimed that Chinwo was involved in a contractual dispute over her purported diversion of the sum of
$345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.
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In an attempt to prove her innocence, the gospel singer presented the court with documented proof, including emails
and payment receipts, after claiming the accusation was untrue and detrimental to her name and public image.
The complainant’s team of lawyers, led by Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, insisted 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.
Recall that Chinwo’s attorney had previously filed a N1.1 billion lawsuit against VDM in the Federal Capital Territory’s
High Court in Abuja.
For all of the alleged false and defamatory remarks he made about Chinwo and her brand, the attorney asked the
court to order the defendant to remove them, recant them, and apologise publicly.
