Esinjemiyotan Atsepoyi, the wife of popular Nigerian comedian Mr. Jollof (Freedom Okpetoritse Atsepoyi), has filed a defamation lawsuit against activist Martins Otse, who is widely known by his social media name “VeryDarkMan.”
The lawsuit, which demands N500 million in damages, stems from accusations made by VeryDarkMan against Mrs. Atsepoyi.
The case comes after the activist, who is based in Abuja, took to his social media platforms to make several serious allegations against Esinjemiyotan.
VeryDarkMan accused her of using unethical methods to assist her husband in securing his recent appointment as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on New Media to Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.
In addition to these allegations, the activist went further by accusing Mrs. Atsepoyi of committing adultery, claiming she had inappropriate relationships with a “Yahoo boy” and various politicians.
In response to these damaging accusations, Mrs. Atsepoyi decided to take legal action, giving VeryDarkMan a 30-day ultimatum to defend himself in court.
She shared details of the legal suit on social media, including the writ of summons, which spans four pages and outlines the specific claims made against her. The writ of summons highlights that Mrs. Atsepoyi is seeking N500 million as compensation for the damage done to her reputation and her business.
Apart from the financial damages, the lawsuit also requests the court to instruct VeryDarkMan to issue a public apology. The demand is for the apology to be published in at least two major national newspapers, as well as on all of the activist’s social media accounts.
The legal document reads in part: ““A declaration that the Defendant (VeryDarkMan) did defame the Claimant in his online publication of 15th, 16th, and in the early hours of 19th September 2024.
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as general damages. An order directing the Defendant to publish an apology to the Claimant in two national dailies and all his social media handles. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant from further making any defamatory publication against the Claimant.”
