ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Controversial Nigerian internet personality, Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, was re-arraigned on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja on allegations of cyberbullying Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh.
The charges, brought by the police, also accuse him of harassing music producer and artist Samuel Oguachuba, popularly called Samklef, among others.
Otse appeared before Justice Musa Liman and pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge read to him in court.
This re-arraignment comes after his initial appearance on May 22, 2024, before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, who was later reassigned to another division. The case, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2024, was originally filed on March 28, 2024.
The charges are based on alleged breaches of Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015, which deals with cyberstalking and related offences.
Following his first court appearance, Otse was remanded in custody before being granted bail on June 10, 2024. The bail was set at ₦10 million, with two sureties required—either employees of well-established companies or federal civil servants at Grade Level 17—along with tax clearance documents covering three years.
In the first count, prosecutors allege that on or around October 13, 2023, the defendant shared a video on his Instagram page (@verydarkblackman) containing statements meant to threaten or intimidate Samklef.
The second charge relates to a video reportedly shared on October 29, 2023, containing offensive and inappropriate comments targeting actress Iyabo Ojo. He allegedly claimed in the video that “one Iyabo Ojo is having an indecent sexual relationship with her daughter.”
On the third count, Otse is accused of making a false statement on January 19, 2024, alleging that Tonto Dikeh diverted funds raised for the “Justice for Mohbad” campaign and was behind the anonymous Gistlover blog.
The fourth charge alleges that on March 19, 2024, the influencer published videos containing derogatory remarks aimed at high-ranking police officials and members of the National Assembly.
After the re-arraignment, Otse’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, urged the court to allow his client to continue on the existing bail terms. Police prosecutor Victor Okoye did not oppose the application.
Justice Liman granted the request, upheld the earlier bail conditions, and scheduled the case for trial on July 24, 2025.
