A Federal High Court sitting in Effurun, Delta State, has ordered social media personality, Martins Vincent Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, to pay ₦30 million in damages to Mrs Esinjemiyotan Uruneyonjuyei Atsepoyi, wife of comedian Mr Jollof, over defamatory statements made against her online.
The court also directed VeryDarkMan to publish a public apology in two national newspapers and across all his social media platforms within 14 days.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the controversy began in September 2024 during an online altercation between VeryDarkMan and Mr Jollof.
During the exchange, VeryDarkMan allegedly accused Mr Jollof’s wife, Mrs Esinjemiyotan Uruneyonjuyei Atsepoyi, of engaging in adultery with politicians and internet fraudsters, commonly referred to as Yahoo boys, in a bid to secure a political appointment for her husband in Delta State.
Reacting at the time, Mr Jollof had fired back at the social media critic, describing him as a product of a broken home and accusing him of lacking proper upbringing.
Following the allegations, Mrs Atsepoyi instituted a ₦500 million defamation suit against VeryDarkMan.
In a judgment delivered by Justice R. Harriman on May 13, 2026, the court held that the statements made by the defendant were defamatory and actionable.
According to the certified court document obtained by DAILY POST, the judge ruled that VeryDarkMan failed to provide evidence to substantiate the allegations made against the claimant.
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.”
The judge further held that the claimant was entitled to both general and aggravated damages due to the extent of the publication and its impact on her reputation.
“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,” the judge ruled.
Court Orders Apology, Restrains Further Publication
Justice Harriman subsequently entered judgment in favour of the claimant and awarded ₦20 million as general damages and ₦10 million as aggravated damages.
“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,” the court held.
“₦20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) as general damages; ₦10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) as aggravated damages.”
The court also ordered the defendant to issue a public apology and retract the defamatory publications made on September 15, 16 and in the early hours of September 19, 2024.
“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… within 14 days of this judgment,” the judge added.
The court further restrained VeryDarkMan, his agents or associates from making any further defamatory statements against the claimant.