Court Orders Arrest Of VeryDarkMan For Defamation Of Mercy Chinwo

An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6 has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).

The arrest order was issued on Thursday in connection to a criminal defamation case filed by well-known gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo.

Presiding over the case, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to arrest VeryDarkMan and bring him before the court to respond to the allegations against him.

The court issued this ruling after the activist failed to appear for a hearing despite being summoned on March 5.

VeryDarkMan’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, pleaded with the court to withdraw the arrest warrant, promising to ensure his client appeared at the next hearing.

However, Magistrate Iyana rejected the request and upheld the order.

The case revolves around alleged defamatory statements VeryDarkMan made about Mercy Chinwo on his social media platform.

He reportedly accused the singer of being involved in a financial dispute over $345,000, allegedly linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.

Chinwo has denied the claims, presenting the court with documentary evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to prove her innocence.

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

Beyond the criminal case, Chinwo has also filed a separate N1.1 billion lawsuit against VeryDarkMan at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Her legal team is demanding that he retract his statements, delete the posts, and issue a public apology for the alleged defamatory remarks.

With the arrest warrant now in effect, authorities are expected to take action against the social media activist in the coming days.

KanyiDaily recalls that VeryDarkMan recently announced plans to release a diss track aimed at Mercy Chinwo, stating that Portable would be part of the project.