A Federal High Court sitting in Effurun, Delta State, has ordered popular Nigerian social media personality, VeryDarkMan, to pay the sum of N30 million in damages to Mrs Esinjemiyotan Uruneyonjuyei Atsepoyi, the wife of comedian and social media figure Mr Jollof, over defamatory statements made against her during an online altercation in September 2024.
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The judgment, delivered by Hon. Justice R. Harriman on May 13, 2026, marks the culmination of a high-profile defamation suit that drew widespread public attention when it was first filed, arising from one of the most contentious social media feuds in recent Nigerian internet history.
The dispute traces its origins to September 2024, when VeryDarkMan engaged in a widely publicized online altercation with Mr Jollof. During the exchange, VeryDarkMan accused Mr Jollof’s wife of committing adultery with politicians and Yahoo boys (internet fraudsters), alleging that she had done so in order to help her husband secure a political appointment in Delta State. The defamatory publications were made on September 15, 16, and in the early hours of September 19, 2024, across VeryDarkMan’s social media platforms.
Mr Jollof responded to the attack by describing VeryDarkMan as a product of a broken home and stating that he was not well trained. However, it was Mrs Atsepoyi herself the direct target of VeryDarkMan’s adultery accusations who took formal legal action.
Mrs Atsepoyi filed a N500 million defamation lawsuit against VeryDarkMan, seeking damages for the injury to her character, reputation, and dignity as a married woman.
In his ruling, Justice Harriman held that VeryDarkMan was unable to provide any evidence to substantiate his claims of adultery against Mrs Atsepoyi. The court found that the words published by VeryDarkMan were defamatory in their natural and ordinary meaning and were actionable per se meaning they were so inherently damaging that proof of actual harm was not required.
The court declared that Mrs Atsepoyi was entitled to both general and aggravated damages, as well as an injunction, relying on the decisions of the Court of Appeal in Diamond Bank v. Okpala (2016) LPELR-41573(CA) and Obok & Ors v. Agbor & Ors (2016) LPELR-41219(CA).
Justice Harriman noted that, given the wide dissemination of the defamatory material across VeryDarkMan’s social media platforms which command a massive following a retraction and public apology were appropriate remedies to restore the claimant’s reputation.
The court entered judgment in favour of Mrs Atsepoyi against VeryDarkMan as follows: a declaration that the words published by VeryDarkMan concerning Mrs Atsepoyi are defamatory; an award of N20 million as general damages; an additional N10 million as aggravated damages, bringing the total to N30 million; a directive that VeryDarkMan publish an apology to Mrs Atsepoyi in two national dailies and across all his social media handles, containing a full retraction of the defamatory words contained in his online publications of September 15, 16, and 19, 2024, within 14 days of the judgment; and a perpetual injunction restraining VeryDarkMan, whether by himself, his agents, or privies, from making any further defamatory publication against Mrs Atsepoyi.
Although Mrs Atsepoyi had originally sought N500 million in damages, the court’s award of N30 million comprising N20 million in general damages and N10 million in aggravated damages remains one of the more significant defamation awards against a social media personality in Nigeria. The aggravated damages component reflects the court’s assessment that VeryDarkMan’s conduct went beyond ordinary defamation, taking into account the manner, extent, and platform of the publication.
The judgment is expected to send a strong message to social media users and content creators about the legal consequences of making unsubstantiated defamatory allegations, particularly those targeting the private lives and reputations of individuals who are not public figures in their own right.
Neither VeryDarkMan nor his legal representatives have publicly commented on the judgment as at the time of this report. It remains to be seen whether the social media personality will comply with the court’s orders or pursue an appeal.
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