An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse Zone 6, on Thursday, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media activist Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM). The arrest order was made following a criminal defamation case filed against him by renowned gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana, in his ruling, instructed the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and bring him before the court to answer charges brought against him by Chinwo. The court's decision came after VDM failed to respond to a summons issued on March 5, requiring his presence for the hearing.
Despite a request from VDM's lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, to allow him to bring his client to court on the next adjourned date, Magistrate Iyana declined to cancel the arrest order.
Chinwo, who accused VDM of making defamatory statements about her on social media, presented documentary evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to support her claim. The statements alleged that Chinwo was involved in a contractual dispute and had misappropriated $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (Eezee Tee).
The gospel singer’s legal team, led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, argued that VDM’s actions violated Sections 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(B) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015.
Chinwo has also filed a N1.1 billion suit against VDM at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, demanding that he retract his statements, delete the defamatory content, and issue a public apology.
