Gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo, has sued social media commentator, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, for alleged defamation.

This is coming weeks after VeryDarkMan, in February, waded into the misunderstanding between Mercy Chinwo and her former record label, owned by Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (EeZee Tee), accusing the singer of diverting funds from shows without paying the record label. He also claimed that the singer violated her contract with the label before leaving.

The misunderstanding came into the public glare after Chinwo in January accused EeZee Tee of exploitation, threats to life and spreading false rumours about her child’s paternity.

Chinwo’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, in a lawsuit dated March 3, 2025, described VeryDarkMan’s comments as “libellous, malicious, and damaging” to the singer’s reputation.

Olajengbesi contended that VeryDarkMan was not involved in the dispute between Chinwo and EeZeeTee, yet he falsely presented the matter as though he were and in a manner that tarnished the singer’s image.

The lawyer said VDM posted 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. He said the videos were deliberately made to ridicule Chinwo.

“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 lawyer said.

“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,” he said.

The lawyer is, therefore, seeking “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 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 per cent interest on the judgement sum per annum until full payment.

He also requested that VDM publish the apology in four national dailies for at least 14 consecutive days.