A chief magistrate court in Abuja has issued a warrant for arrest of social media critic VeryDarkMan (VDM) over alleged criminal defamation of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo.
Gatekeepers News reports that Emmanuel lyanna, the presiding Magistrate, granted the order following VDM’s failure to appear before the court despite being summoned on March 5.
Deji Adeyanju, the defendant’s lawyer, pleaded for reconsideration, assuring the court that he would personally present his client, but the magistrate rejected the request.
The Court ordered the police and other law enforcement agencies to arrest VDM and ensure his appearance in court to address the alleged criminal charges against him.
Recall that VDM had accused Mercy of diverting funds from shows without remitting them to her former label, EeZee Conceptz.
VeryDarkMan also alleged that the gospel singer violated contractual agreements with the label before parting ways.
Responding through her lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi, Mercy filed a lawsuit against the self-acclaimed activist, seeking N1.1 billion in damages.
She accused VDM of making “libelous, malicious, spiteful, malevolent, and grossly defamatory statements” that impugn her image.
Mercy also demanded that he retract his statements, delete the alleged defamatory posts, and issue a public apology.
VDM, however, took to social media to share a snippet of his upcoming diss track against Chinwo.
