A Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of blogger Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM). The court accused him of criminal defamation against gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
The order directs the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to arrest VDM and bring him to court. Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna issued the warrant on March 13, 2025, after VDM failed to appear in court despite a March 5 summons.
VDM’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju has pleaded with the court to withdraw the warrant. He assured the magistrate that he would personally bring his client to court. The magistrate however denied the appeal and insisted that security agencies must present VDM in court.
The case arose as a result of VDM allegedly making false claims on social media as regards the case between Chinwo and her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (Eezee Tee) regarding to the mismanagement of $345,000.
Chinwo backed her claims with emails and payment receipts, proving the allegations were false and damaging to her reputation.
Her legal team, led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, argued that VDM’s actions violate Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24 (1)(B) of the Cybercrime Act 2015.
Chinwo has also filed a N1.1 billion lawsuit against VDM at the FCT High Court. Her lawyers demand that VDM deletes the defamatory statements, issues a retraction, and publicly apologizes.
