A Federal High Court sitting in Effurun has ordered social media personality Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to pay ₦30 million in damages to Esinjemiyotan Atsepoyi over defamatory statements made against her online.
The court also directed him to publish an apology in two national newspapers and across all his social media platforms within 14 days.
The case stemmed from an online dispute between VeryDarkMan and comedian Mr Jollof in September 2024.
During the social media exchange, VeryDarkMan accused Mr. Jollof’s wife of engaging in adultery with politicians and internet fraudsters to secure a political appointment for her husband in Delta State.
Mr Jollof publicly denied the allegations at the time.
Following the claims, Mrs Atsepoyi instituted a ₦500 million defamation lawsuit against the activist and content creator.
In the judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice R. Harriman ruled that VeryDarkMan failed to provide evidence to support the allegations made online.
The court held that the statements were defamatory.
According to the ruling, the court awarded ₦20 million as general damages and an additional ₦10 million as aggravated damages.
The judge also ordered VeryDarkMan to retract and apologise for the posts published on September 15, 16, and the early hours of September 19, 2024.
In addition, the court restrained him and his associates from making further defamatory statements against the claimant.
The judgment has since generated reactions online, especially given VeryDarkMan’s high profile presence on social media and his history of controversial online commentary involving celebrities, influencers, and public figures.
