BREAKING: Magistrate’s Court orders arrest of VeryDarkMan over alleged defamation of Mercy Chinwo

BREAKING: Magistrate’s Court orders arrest of VeryDarkMan despite plea by counsel to personally produce him at next hearing

By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor

A Magistrate’s Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest on social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over alleged defamation of Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.

Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana on Thursday ordered the police and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and produce him before the court to answer to criminal allegations levelled against him by Chinwo.

The court noted that he failed to honour a summon it issued on March 5 which directed him to appear for the proceeding.

Iyana declined to vacate the arrest order despite a plea by counsel to the defendant, Deji Adeyanju, who implored the court to allow him personally produce his client on the next adjourned date.

VDM is alleged to have made defamatory statements against Chinwo through his social media page, having claimed that she was involved in a contractual dispute over her purported diversion of $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.

Chinwo countered that the allegation is not only false but also injurious to her public image and reputation, and adduced before the court, documentary evidence that included emails and payment receipts to establish her innocence.

Her team of lawyers led by Pelumi Olajengbesi insisted that the defendant’s action contravenes Sections 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24 (1)(B) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.

Chinwo’s counsel had also instituted a N1.1 billion suit against VDM before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The lawyer asked 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.

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