Six months after the Federal Capital Territory Excessive Court docket adjourned the lawsuit between social media influencer Martins ‘VeryDarkMan’ Otse and Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin, a brand new listening to date has been set.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Fufeyin, founding father of Delta State-based church, the Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministries, filed a N1 billion lawsuit towards ‘VeryDarkMan’ for publicly questioning the authenticity of his faith-based merchandise.
No substantial updates have been supplied since Justice Nwosu Iheme, who initially presided over the case, adjourned it to six September 2024 for a listening to.
Unconfirmed stories prompt that Mr Fufeyin settled out of courtroom with the social media influencer.
Nevertheless, Mr Fufeyin’s counsel, Ihensekhien Samuel, dismissed this declare as unfaithful throughout an interview with this newspaper on Wednesday.
Whereas explaining the delay in proceedings, Mr Ihensekhien revealed that the Chief Justice of the FCT Excessive Court docket, Abuja, reassigned the case to a different decide on the FCT Excessive Court docket in Nyanya.
He additional disclosed that Justice A.Y. Shafa, who now presides over the reassigned case, has scheduled a brand new listening to date.
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Mr Ihensekhien stated: “A date has been set for 29 January for additional proceedings within the matter of Prophet Jeremiah Omotofufeyin versus Martin Otse, in any other case referred to as VeryDarkMan. The matter needed to be transferred as a result of it was beforehand heard by the holiday courtroom, which isn’t the common FCT Excessive Court docket.
‘‘The holiday courtroom solely handles pressing issues or preliminary purposes, resembling motions and comparable filings. On this case, the courtroom dealt with some purposes to regularise our processes and enter appearances. As such, the courtroom couldn’t hear the matter in full.”
Moreover, Mr Fufeyin’s counsel confirmed {that a} defamation, libel, and slander lawsuit was filed towards Verydarkman on the FCT Excessive Court docket.
Personal jet video and different issues
Verydarkman was stated to have allegedly violated the established order order issued by the courtroom pending the case listening to—by posting a video on his Instagram web page on 6 January.
Within the video, Mr Fufeyin was sleeping in a personal jet when a voice (a voice-over) presumed to be from God talked to him. When he woke in the identical video, he stated, “Lord, your servant is listening.”
Posting the video on his Instagram web page, Verydarkman mocked the prophet, alleging that he (Mr Fufeyin) stated he heard immediately from God.
The lawyer acknowledged that the video and the problems raised by Verydarkman had no connection to the matter presently earlier than the courtroom.
In defence of his shopper, the lawyer stated, “Within the video, he (Fufeyin) was simply attempting for example how one can hear from God to his viewership, his members, and his followers. Verydarkman is a malicious character, once more, and in violation of the FCT Excessive Court docket order, he introduced that video once more to create content material, draw consideration, and additional malign, defame, and slander Fufeyin’s character, making quite a few innuendos and inferences.
‘‘Now we have our claims and witnesses lined up and shall show our case earlier than the FCT Excessive Court docket. The video he (Verydarkman) shared this 12 months was an outdated video, and the idea upon which he (Fufeyin) made that video was merely a graphic and spiritual illustration of easy methods to hear from God typically. You also needs to know that this pastor has been identified to carry out drama skits prior to now,” he added.
“So, principally, the fulcrum of what we’ve got filed earlier than the FCT Excessive Court docket pertains to defamation, libel, and slander. No matter points Verydarkman raises don’t have anything to do with the current matter earlier than the courts. I can inform you categorically that we’ve got full directions from Prophet Jeremiah Omotofufeyin and his staff to proceed with the defamation case towards Verydarkman.”
In line with him, the authorized staff is taking notes, recording movies, and documenting additional defamatory, libellous, and slanderous content material that Verydarkman is publishing towards Mr Fufeyin.
“The advantage of this case is that we be aware his atrocious acts and defamatory actions. We’re documenting them, and there are different twists to this matter. Prophet Omotofufeyin is a really principled man. He won’t interact with somebody with nothing to lose or no popularity, character, or credibility to take care of.”
Mr Ihensekhien maintained that his shopper believed within the judicial course of and approached the courtroom. He wouldn’t withdraw the case till the courtroom delivered a definitive pronouncement on all the problems surrounding his case towards Verydarkman.
Forgery
Moreover, Mr Fufeyin’s counsel disclosed that Verydarkman had been charged with receipt forgery involving Mr Fufeyin’s miracle merchandise earlier than the FCT Excessive Court docket.
Earlier, this newspaper reported that Mr Ihensekhien acknowledged that the purported miracle merchandise, which the social media influencer claimed to have bought and administered to blind and different bodily challenged people, have been purchased from a roadside vendor.
He additional alleged that Verydarkman solid Mr Fufeyin’s receipt to validate the miracle merchandise obtained from the roadside vendor, which the social media influencer claimed have been ineffective.
READ ALSO: Lacking ₦180 million NGO funds was prank – VeryDarkMan
The lawyer stated: “You also needs to know that, in the midst of this matter, there’s a set off and a grave allegation of forgery towards the character of Verydarkman. The police report is nearly prepared. The Nigerian Police Pressure, particularly the Delta State Police Command, continues to be ready for Verydarkman to honour the invitation they despatched to him.
“He got here the final time to threaten the police, saying he wouldn’t report and would see what would occur. The wheel of justice strikes slowly. Nonetheless, it’s going to actually attain a degree the place the police will deal with the extreme difficulty relating to Jeremiah’s receipt and church forgery towards Verydarkman. A part of the identical difficulty has additionally been filed as a part of the method pending earlier than the FCT Excessive Court docket.”
Verydarkman’s lawyer reacts
In the meantime, Verydarkman’s lawyer, Ademola Oyedokun, confirmed in an interview with this newspaper on Thursday that the case will resume on 29 January.
Mr Oyedokun stated, “The difficulty stays that within the case we’re having in Abuja, the courtroom has ordered that every one established order be maintained and that everyone ought to maintain on in regards to the case.
“If the courtroom has ordered standing, any get together has no proper to make any grievance on the police relating to a problem already pending in Abuja.”
When requested if he was conscious of the Delta State Police command invitation, Mr Fufeyin’s lawyer stated it was despatched to Verydarkman; he stated, “We’re not conscious of any police invitation; all I do know is that we’re sustaining the courtroom order of established order.”
Moreover, Mr Oyedokun stated that Verydarkman hadn’t defamed Mr Fufeyin since the established order order was made.
“Mr Ihensekhien isn’t a decide as a result of Verydarkman has by no means defamed Mr Fufeyin, and I don’t know what he (Mr Ihensekhien) is speaking about”, he added.
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