On Thursday, an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6 issued a bench warrant for the arrest of controversial social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The arrest warrant came when Mercy Chinwo, a well-known female gospel singer, filed a criminal defamation lawsuit.
In his ruling, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyana ordered the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and produce him before the court to answer to criminal allegations that were levelled against him by the gospel singer.
The court noted that the defendant failed to honour a summon it issued on March 5, which directed him to appear for the proceeding.
Despite a passionate plea by counsel to the defendant, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, who was presebt in court, Magistrate Iyana declined to vacate the arrest order.
Adeyanju had begged the court to allow him to personally produce his client on the next adjourned date.
Specifically, VDM was alleged to have made defamatory statements against the singer through his social media page.
It allegedly claimed that Chinwo was involved in a contractual dispute over her purported diversion of the sum of $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.
Aggrieved by the allegation which she described as not only false but also injurious to her public image and reputation, the gospel singer, adduced before the court, documentary evidence that included emails and payment receipts, in a bid to establish her innocence.
Under the leadership of Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, the complainant’s legal team argued that the defendant’s actions violated Section 24 (1)(B) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 and Section 391 of the Penal Code.
