Mr Jollof’s wife sues VeryDarkMan for N500 million

Esinjemiyotan Atsepoyi, the spouse of fashionable Nigerian comic Mr Jollof, has filed a defamation lawsuit in opposition to Martins Otse, also referred to as VeryDarkMan, demanding N500 million in damages.

Mr Jollof made this identified in an Instagram submit on Tuesday. The go well with, filed on 27 September on the Delta State Excessive Courtroom in Effurun, is a response to what Mrs Atsepoyi claimed have been defamatory posts made by VeryDarkMan on Instagram between 15 and 19 September.

Alleged defamation claims

The lawsuit, outlined in a writ of summons and assertion of declare, centres round allegations that VeryDarkMan used his Instagram account to accuse Mrs Atsepoyi of committing adultery with a “Yahoo boy” and “a number of politicians.”

These actions, based on VeryDarkMan, have been meant to assist her husband, Mr Jollof, safe a Senior Particular Assistant (SSA) place within the Delta State authorities.

In one other Instagram submit, VeryDarkMan additional urged that Mr Jollof ought to conduct a DNA check to confirm the paternity of considered one of their kids. The controversial whistleblowerclaimed to have witnesses to help his accusations, including that he was prepared for any authorized motion his posts would possibly provoke.

These allegations, based on the lawsuit, have been “seen by thousands and thousands of individuals on-line,” together with a lot of Mrs Atsepoyi’s purchasers and potential prospects. The assertion of declare acknowledged that the defamatory content material “lowered the Claimant within the estimation of right-thinking members of society” and has induced her “ache, embarrassment, hate, contempt, and mock.”

Authorized calls for

Within the declare, Mrs Atsepoyi is in search of N500 million as compensation for the injury carried out to her repute and enterprise. She can be asking the court docket for an order directing VeryDarkMan to publicly apologise in not less than two nationwide newspapers and on all his social media platforms.

The claimant prayed the court docket for: “A declaration that the Defendant (VeryDarkMan) did defame the Claimant in his on-line publication of fifteenth, sixteenth, and within the early hours of nineteenth September 2024.

“An order of this Honourable Courtroom directing the Defendant to pay the sum of N500,000,000.00 (5 Hundred Million Naira) as basic damages. An order directing the Defendant to publish an apology to the Claimant in two nationwide dailies and all his social media handles. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant from additional making any defamatory publication in opposition to the Claimant.”

Moreover, Mrs Atsepoyi prayed for an injunction to stop VeryDarkMan from making any additional defamatory statements in opposition to her, instantly or by his associates.

Skilled damages

Mrs Atsepoyi, who has been married to Mr Jollof since 2014, is an completed occasion planner. In keeping with the go well with, her enterprise, which generates oover N100 million yearly, has taken a big hit as a result of allegations.

The lawsuit claimed that after the defamatory publications by VDM, her enterprise was bombarded with “unfavourable insults” and dangerous feedback from purchasers and most people. The declare included screenshots of those feedback as proof.

The lawsuit described how the defamatory publications have additionally affected her household, notably her kids, who’ve confronted ridicule from their friends. Mrs. Atsepoyi’s relationship along with her in-laws and her husband has additionally been allegedly strained as a result of accusations.

In keeping with the assertion of declare, Mrs Atsepoyi had no prior private interplay with VeryDarkMan earlier than these defamatory posts, which she describes as “false and malicious.”

Regardless of her solicitor’s letter, dated 19 September, demanding a retraction, VeryDarkMan allegedly refused to take away the posts or challenge an apology, prompting the authorized motion.

VDM reacted to the lawsuit with ridicule on Wednesday, mockingly referring to Mr Jollof as “You be mumu,” which means, “You’re a silly man.”

The general public has been divided over the continuing feud, with social media customers expressing numerous opinions on the authorized battle.

Background

The defamation go well with between VeryDarkMan, Mr Jollof, and Mrs Atsepoyi arose from accusations made by VDM throughout a public feud with the comic.

The controversial activist initially criticised Mr Jollof’s {qualifications} for being appointed as a Senior Particular Assistant (SSA) to Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. He argued that Mr Jollof, who promotes betting and has been seen smoking cannabis and different medicine publicly, mustn’t maintain a place meant to encourage the youth. To help his argument, VDM shared movies of Mr Jollof endorsing betting and claimed that such actions have been inappropriate for somebody in a public workplace.

In response, Mr Jollof accused VDM of clout-chasing, mocking him for not securing endorsements regardless of his social media affect. He additionally accused VDM of insulting his spouse, Mrs Atsepoyi, and retaliated by attacking VDM’s mom, calling him a product of a damaged residence. He additional insulted VDM, alleging that he was homosexual and transgender, and threatened to take care of him in the event that they met in public.

In return, VDM escalated the state of affairs by digging and claiming that Mrs Atsepoyi engaged in extramarital affairs with prime officers to safe her husband’s SSA place. This back-and-forth has resulted in a public and authorized dispute between the events. The activist additionally claimed that the media persona caught his spouse on the Cocoa Butterfly Resort in Ogborowke, leaving him in tears. He added that Mr Jollof allegedly shouted exterior the resort, went in and allegedly took his spouse residence. These accusations sparked vital controversy on-line.

In response, Mrs Atsepoyi, by her attorneys, issued a stop and desist letter, demanding a public apology and retraction inside 24 hours. Her authorized group argued that VDM’s remarks have been false, defamatory, and designed to wreck her repute and marriage.

The letter emphasised that the couple had been fortunately married since 2014, with out scandal, and famous the unfavourable influence on Mrs Atsepoyi’s occasion planning enterprise. The state of affairs escalated additional when VDM’s residence handle was leaked on-line, forcing him to flee to a special location for security.