An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of social media activist Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over alleged defamation. The order follows a case filed by gospel singer Mercy Chinwo, accusing VDM of making false claims about her on social media.
Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana directed law enforcement to arrest and present VDM in court after he failed to honor a March 5 summons. His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, pleaded for more time to produce him voluntarily, but the court declined.
VDM allegedly accused Chinwo of misappropriating $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (Eezee Tee). Chinwo, denying the allegations, provided documentary evidence to support her claims. Her legal team argued that VDM’s actions violated the Penal Code and Cybercrime Act.
Additionally, Chinwo has filed a separate N1.1 billion lawsuit, seeking damages and a public apology.
