Controversial social media personality Martins Otse, better known by his online alias VeryDarkMan (VDM), was re-arraigned on Thursday, May 15, 2025, before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The Nigeria Police Force filed a five-count charge against him for alleged cyberbullying and cyberstalking of several high-profile Nigerians, including Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh, as well as music producer and singer Samuel Oguachuba, widely known as Samklef.
The re-arraignment took place before Justice Musa Liman, following a reassignment of the case from Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, who had earlier presided over the matter but was recently transferred to another division of the Federal High Court. Otse pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him.
The charges, which fall under Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, were first filed on March 28, 2024, under the case number FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2024. His legal troubles in this case stretch back to May 22, 2024, when he was initially arraigned before Justice Olajuwon. He was subsequently granted bail on June 10, 2024, under strict conditions that included a ₦10 million bond and two sureties. The sureties are required to either be employees of reputable companies or federal civil servants not below Grade Level 17, with verifiable tax clearance for the preceding three years.
According to the prosecution, the charges stem from content posted by VDM on his Instagram account (@verydarkblackman) between October 2023 and March 2024. In the first count, he is accused of threatening and bullying music producer Samuel Oguachuba, known professionally as Samklef, via a video shared on or around October 13, 2023.
The second count alleges that on October 29, 2023, he published a video considered grossly offensive, indecent, obscene, and menacing, targeting Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo. In the video, VDM allegedly claimed that “one Iyabo Ojo is having an indecent sexual relationship with her daughter.”
In the third count, the prosecution alleges that VDM knowingly spread false information in a video published on January 19, 2024. In that clip, he accused Tonto Dikeh of misappropriating funds raised during the Justice for Mohbad campaign—a public fundraiser organized in response to the sudden death of the young Nigerian singer Mohbad. He further claimed that Dikeh operated anonymously as the figure behind the controversial gossip blog Gistlover.
The fourth count pertains to videos he posted on March 19, 2024, where he allegedly made insulting and annoying remarks about senior officials in the Nigeria Police Force, specifically Deputy Inspectors-General, as well as members of the National Assembly.
During Thursday’s proceedings, VDM’s counsel, human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, requested that the court retain the previous bail conditions set by Justice Olajuwon. The police prosecutor, Victor Okoye, did not oppose the request. Justice Liman agreed and ruled that the existing bail terms would remain in effect while the trial proceeds.
This re-arraignment follows VDM’s recent release from custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he had been held over separate allegations of fraud.
The case has been adjourned until July 24, 2025, for trial.
