The Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse Zone 6 has issued an arrest warrant for Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to appear in court regarding the defamation suit filed by Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
On Thursday, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana issued this order to the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies after VDM failed to appear for the hearing despite being served notice.
Magistrate Iyana declined the plea of Mr. Deji Adeyanju, counsel to VDM, to withdraw the arrest order, while urging him to ensure his client appears at the next hearing.
The social media influencer was alleged to have made defamatory statements against the gospel singer on his page regarding the $345,000 dispute between Chinwo and Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee, her former music boss.
Chinwo, who filed the suit against VDM, dismissed the claims as false and a threat to her image and reputation, presenting various documented evidence before the court.
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The complainant’s legal team, led by Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, argued that the defendant’s actions violated Section 391 of the Penal Code and Section 24(1)(B) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015.
Additionally, Chinwo’s counsel had previously filed a N1.1 billion lawsuit against VDM at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The lawyer urged the court to mandate the defendant to remove the alleged false and defamatory statements, issue a retraction, and publicly apologize to Chinwo and her brand.
