Nigerian social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has been ordered by a court to pay Mrs. Esinjemiyotan Uruneyonjuyei Atsepoyi, wife of comedian, Mr. Jollof, the sum of N30 million for defamation of character.
The order was issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Effurun, Delta State, in a judgment delivered by Hon. Justice R. Harriman on May 13, 2026.
The court held that VeryDarkMan failed to provide evidence to substantiate the allegations he made against the claimant and consequently awarded N30 million in damages for defamation.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Harriman stated: “I therefore have no hesitation in holding that the words complained of are defamatory in their natural and ordinary meaning and are actionable per se.
“I find that the Claimant is entitled to general and aggravated damages and an injunction. See DIAMOND BANK v. OKPALA (2016) LPELR-41573(CA) and OBOK & ORS v. AGBOR & ORS (2016) LPELR-41219(CA). Given the wide dissemination of the defamatory material, a retraction and apology are appropriate to restore the Claimant’s reputation.
“Judgment is hereby entered in favour of the Claimant against the defendant as follows: It is declared that the words published by the Defendant concerning the Claimant are defamatory.
“N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) as general damages; N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) as aggravated damages. The Defendant is hereby directed to publish an apology to the Claimant in two national dailies and all his social media handles containing a retraction of the defamatory words contained in the Defendant’s online publication of 15th, 16th, and in the early hours of 19th September, 2024, within 14 days of this judgment.
“The Defendant, by himself, his agents, and/or privies, is hereby restrained from further making any defamatory publication against the Claimant.”
For those who don’t know, VeryDarkMan, during an online altercation with Mr. Jollof in September 2024, accused Mr. Jollof’s wife of engaging in adultery with politicians and internet fraudsters (“Yahoo boys”) to help her husband secure a political appointment in Delta State.