The Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City has granted an order for substituted service of court processes on popular social media personality, Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as “VeryDarkMan.”
The ruling comes amid a high-stakes ₦500 million defamation lawsuit instituted by the former Chief of Staff of Edo State, Hon. Gani Audu.
During the hearing on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Lucky Osemene Esq., representing the claimant from Douglas Ogbankwa Law Firm, appeared before Hon. Justice Peter Akehiero
Osemene moved a motion ex-parte seeking the court’s leave to serve the originating processes on the defendant through substituted means by pasting same on the front doors of his last known address and by tagging the processes in his verified social media accounts/handles, noting the difficulties in affecting personal service on the social media influencer.
After hearing the arguments, Justice Akehiero granted the order sought, paving the way for the legal dispute to formally commence.
The legal battle stems from a series of publications made by Otse on his Instagram and his other social media platform. Hon. Gani Audu alleges that these broadcasts amounted to a severe defamation of his character.
In his statement of claim, the former Chief of Staff is demanding a staggering ₦500 million in damages against Otse, citing the need to protect his hard-earned reputation from unfounded social media attacks.
Following Justice Akehieri’s ruling, the court bailiffs will execute the order for substituted service. Once the processes are deemed properly served as directed by the court, Martins Vincent Otse (VeryDarkMan) and his legal team will be expected to file their defense against the weighty allegations.
The case continues to draw public interest, in view of the high stakes involved in the matter.
