{"id":120973,"date":"2025-07-25T05:07:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T04:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=120973"},"modified":"2025-07-25T05:07:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T04:07:53","slug":"court-postpones-verydarkmans-cyberbullying-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/court-postpones-verydarkmans-cyberbullying-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Postpones VeryDarkMan\u2019s Cyberbullying Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"m#msg-f:1838551138304232744\" class=\"mail-message expanded\">\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1838551138304232744-header\" class=\"mail-message-header spacer\" style=\"text-align: left;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1838551138304232744-content\" class=\"mail-message-content collapsible zoom-normal mail-show-images \">\n<div class=\"clear\">\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned the trial of social media critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), on charges of cyberbullying and defamation involving celebrities Iyabo Ojo, Tonto Dikeh, and music producer Samklef.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">Presiding Judge, Justice Musa Liman, postponed proceedings on Thursday, July 24, 2025, to December 2, 2025, after other matters occupied the court\u2019s sitting time.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">VDM was re-arraigned on May 15, 2025, by the Nigerian Police on a five-count charge under Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The activist was accused of publishing harmful and false content online between October 2023 and March 2024, including posts alleged to have threatened, defamed, or incited harassment against the complainants.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">Among the claims presented by the prosecution was a video published on October 29, 2023, in which VDM reportedly said:<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">&#8220;One Iyabo Ojo is having an indecent sexual relationship with her daughter.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">He also allegedly accused Tonto Dikeh of diverting funds raised during the \u201cJustice for Mohbad\u201d campaign and operating the controversial Gistlover blog.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">Another video cited in court, posted on March 19, 2024, was said to have included derogatory remarks about senior police officials and legislators.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">VDM pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains on \u20a610 million bail with two sureties. His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, appealed that the previous bail conditions set by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon be upheld. The prosecution, led by Victor Okoye, raised no objections.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThere was no objection from the prosecution,\u201d Adeyanju told the court, assuring his client\u2019s continued bail status.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The adjournment has sparked widespread reactions across social media, with opinions sharply divided. Supporters of VDM argue that he is a whistleblower being punished for challenging powerful figures.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThis is a classic case of the state using its weight to silence a social critic,\u201d said Tunde Peters, a digital rights advocate.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThe court must be careful not to criminalize opinion under the guise of cybercrime.\u201d says Tope, a University student.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">Conversely, others believe VDM crossed ethical lines.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWhat he said about Iyabo and Tonto wasn\u2019t criticism. It\u00a0 was reckless and vile. He must be held accountable,\u201d said Amina Oladipo, a Lagos-based lawyer and women\u2019s rights advocate.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">Legal analysts say the case could set a critical precedent on how far free speech extends online under Nigeria\u2019s cybercrime laws.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThe courts must strike a balance between digital activism and protection from online abuse,\u201d said Barr. Femi Oketola, a constitutional lawyer.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u00a0\u201cThis case is about much more than celebrity gossip. It\u2019s a legal stress test for digital accountability.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">As the trial now shifts to a December date, all eyes remain on the courtroom where justice by precedent or punishment, will eventually be served.<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_2672091186370296655ymail_android_signature\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned the trial of social media critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), on charges of cyberbullying and&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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