A Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, has issued an arrest warrant for social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), following a criminal defamation case filed by gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana, ordered the Nigeria Police and other law enforcement agencies to apprehend VDM and bring him to court after he failed to appear for a hearing on March 5, despite being summoned.
The case stems from allegations that VDM made defamatory statements about Chinwo on social media, accusing her of mismanaging $345,000 in a contractual dispute with her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.
The arrest warrant was issued on Thursday after Chinwo, through her legal team led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, denied the claims, presenting documentary evidence such as emails and payment receipts to the court to prove her innocence.
Her lawyers argued that VDM’s actions violated Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(B) of the Cybercrime Act 2015.
Additionally, Chinwo’s legal team has filed a separate N1.1B lawsuit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, demanding that VDM delete the alleged defamatory statements, issue a public apology, and retract his claims.
VDM’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, pleaded with the court to allow him to personally present his client at the next hearing, but Magistrate Iyana refused to cancel the arrest order.
