Gladness Gideon
Controversial social media personality, Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), was on Thursday re-arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on allegations of cyberbullying several public figures, including Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh.
The re-arraignment took place before Justice Musa Liman following the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, to another judicial division. The five-count charge against Otse is being prosecuted under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
Otse pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2024, alleges that VDM used his Instagram platform (@verydarkblackman) to publish content considered menacing, offensive, and defamatory against several individuals including music producer Samuel Oguachuba (Samklef), actress Iyabo Ojo, and actress-turned-politician Tonto Dikeh.
According to the charges, on October 13, 2023, the defendant allegedly posted a video directed at Samklef containing threatening and demeaning remarks. He is further accused of publishing another video on October 29, 2023, in which he made highly offensive and defamatory statements about Iyabo Ojo, including unsubstantiated claims of an inappropriate relationship involving her daughter.
On January 19, 2024, Otse allegedly published false accusations against Tonto Dikeh, including claims of financial misconduct in the Justice for Mohbad crowdfunding campaign and allegations that she is the operator behind the controversial blog “Gistlover.”
The fourth count also claims that on March 19, 2024, the defendant posted another video on his page with content deemed insulting and annoying to senior law enforcement officers and members of the National Assembly.
Following the re-arraignment, Otse’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, applied for the retention of the bail previously granted by Justice Olajuwon on June 10, 2024, which included a ₦10 million bond and two sureties—either federal Level 17 officers or senior staff of reputable organizations with verified tax history.
Prosecuting counsel Victor Okoye raised no objections, and Justice Liman upheld the earlier bail conditions. The case has been adjourned until July 24, 2025, for trial proceedings to begin.