An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 6 on Thursday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM)
The arrest order follows a criminal defamation case filed against him by gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
In his ruling, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and present him before the court to respond to the allegations leveled against him.
The court noted that VDM failed to comply with a summons issued on March 5, which required him to appear for proceedings. Despite a plea from his counsel, Deji Adeyanju, who was present in court, the magistrate refused to revoke the arrest order. Adeyanju had assured the court that he would personally produce his client on the next adjourned date, but the request was denied.
VDM is accused of making defamatory statements against Chinwo on social media, alleging her involvement in a contractual dispute and the diversion of $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.
Chinwo, who described the allegations as false and damaging to her reputation, presented documentary evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to support her 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, Abuja. She is seeking an order compelling him to delete the alleged defamatory statements, issue a public retraction, and apologize.
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