An Abuja court at Wuse Zone 6 has issued an arrest warrant for social media activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM). The order came after gospel singer Mercy Chinwo filed a criminal defamation case against him.
Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana, who presided over the case, directed the police and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and bring him to court. This follows allegations of defamation made by Chinwo, which VDM failed to respond to despite a court summons issued on March 5.
VDM’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, was present in court and pleaded with the magistrate to allow him to bring his client to court on the next scheduled date. However, Magistrate Iyana refused to cancel the arrest order.
The case stems from claims VDM made on social media, accusing Chinwo of being involved in a contract dispute over $345,000 allegedly linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (Eezee Tee). Chinwo denied the allegations, stating they were false and damaging to her reputation. She presented evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to prove her innocence.
Chinwo’s legal team, led by Pelumi Olajengbesi, argued that VDM’s actions violated Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act 2015.
