Federal High Court Re-Arraigns Social Media Influencer VeryDarkMan on Cyberbullying Charges Against Nollywood Celebrities
Federal High Court Re-Arraigns Social Media Influencer VeryDarkMan on Cyberbullying Charges Against Nollywood Celebrities
Controversial social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), was re-arraigned on Thursday by the Nigeria Police before a Federal High Court in Abuja on charges related to cyberbullying prominent figures in the entertainment industry. The influencer is accused of targeting Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh, as well as Nigerian producer and singer Samuel Oguachuba, also known as Samklef.
VDM appeared before Justice Musa Liman and pleaded not guilty to five counts of cyber harassment and misconduct. This is a continuation of proceedings that began earlier; he was first arraigned on May 22, 2024, before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, on the same charges, which violate Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015. Following his initial arraignment, he was remanded in custody but was later granted bail of N10 million on June 10, 2024. The bail conditions included two sureties, either employees of reputable companies or Level 17 officers in the federal civil service, who must provide evidence of three years’ tax clearance.
The charges, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2024 and filed March 28, 2024, were transferred to Justice Liman’s court after Justice Olajuwon was reassigned to another division of the Federal High Court.
Details of the charges include:
– **Count One:** Allegation that on or about October 13, 2023, VDM maliciously published a video on his Instagram handle (@verydarkblackman), containing threatening and bullying remarks directed at Samuel Oguachuba.
– **Count Two:** That on or about October 29, 2023, he posted videos on Instagram containing grossly offensive and menacing content against Iyabo Ojo, including a claim that she is involved in an indecent sexual relationship with her daughter.
– **Count Three:** That on January 19, 2024, he falsely claimed that Tonto Dikeh was involved in criminal activities related to crowdfunding proceeds for the Justice for Mobbad Movement and was behind the Gistlover blog.
– **Count Four:** That on March 19, 2024, he posted videos insulting and provoking remarks about Deputy Inspectors General of Police and members of the National Assembly.
During the hearing, VDM’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, requested that his client be allowed to continue under the existing bail conditions, a request that police counsel Victor Okoye did not oppose. Justice Liman approved the bail arrangement and scheduled the case for trial on July 24, 2025.
