Ruth Semilore
Gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo, has filed a lawsuit against social media commentator, Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, for alleged defamation.
In February, VeryDarkMan accused Chinwo of diverting funds from shows without paying her former record label, owned by Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu.
He also claimed that the singer violated her contract with the label before leaving.
In a lawsuit dated March 3, Chinwo’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, described VDM’s comments as “libellous, malicious, and damaging” to the singer’s reputation.
Olajengbesi argued that VDM was not involved in the dispute between Chinwo and EeZee Tee, yet he falsely presented the matter in a way that tarnished the singer’s image.
He accused VDM of posting several videos to his millions of followers, showing a “caricaturist and disdainful portrayal of the Claimant (Chinwo)” while favouring EeZee Tee’s side in the dispute.
Olajengbesi said the videos were deliberately made to ridicule Chinwo.
He stated,
“The Claimant avers that she has neither had any form of relationship with the Defendant nor was the Defendant involved in the issue between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T in any material particular.
“The Claimant avers that the statements which the Defendant made in the videos he published on his Instagram page were as though the Defendant was personally involved in the issues between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T; however, these statements were not only false but damning and injurious to the Claimant’s public image and reputation.”
The lawyer is seeking a court order directing VDM to remove the defamatory posts from all his social media platforms.
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to cause a retraction of the said defamatory statement in favour of the Claimant on all his social media platforms and to publish an unreserved apology to the Claimant in two widely circulated national dailies and all his social media platforms,” he also demanded.
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Olajengbesi further prayed the court to order VDM to pay, N1 billion as general damages for defamation, N100 million as punitive and aggravated damages, N25 million as the cost of the suit and 10% interest on the judgment sum per annum until full payment.
He also requested that VDM publish the apology in four national dailies for at least 14 consecutive days.
In January, Chinwo accused Onyedikachukwu, popularly known as EeZee Tee, of exploitation, threats to life and spreading false rumours about her child’s paternity.
The allegation comes amid the ongoing feud between the duo.
In a video shared on Instagram, Chinwo claimed that he threatened her safety, forcing her to relocate from Lagos to Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
Without mentioning his name, she said, “He threatened my life, and I had to leave Lagos to seek safety.”
