Hon. Gani Audu, Immediate past Chief of Staff to the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has instituted a N500 million defamation suit against popular social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, at the High Court of Justice, Edo State of Nigeria, sitting in Benin City.
The suit, marked B/58/2026, was filed on January 22, 2026, by Douglas Ogbankwa Esq. of Douglas Ogbankwa Law Firm, Benin City.
According to the Statement of Claim, Hon. Gani Audu is the Immediate past Chief of Staff to the Edo State Governor, His Excellency Governor Monday Okpebholo. His appointment was reported by Punch newspaper on November 15, 2024.
The claimant stated that before becoming Chief of Staff, he was a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, representing Etsako West Constituency. Before that, he was the Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The claimant averred that in all these positions of public trust, he has demonstrated great statesmanship and has been of exemplary conduct.
According to the suit, on January 14, 2026, VeryDarkMan made a video on his verified Facebook and Instagram pages (with over One Million Followers) where he claimed that the Claimant called the DPO of Auchi Police Division, telling the DPO not to record the statement of one Harrison Gwamnishu and to allow Harrison Gwamnishu leave the police station.
The claimant quoted VeryDarkMan’s exact words in the video as follows:
“Harrison called the Chief of Staff, Gani Audu, this is the Chief of Staff of Governor Monday Okpebholo, present Governor of Edo State. So he called this one, this one now told the DPO that he should let Harrison go. So if not for this man now, Harrison, we for don lock am. All these things when dey happen online, una for no even see am. So it is the Chief of Staff, na him know the relationship when two of them get. That Chief of Staff self, you need to be investigated, because you obstructed justice, you obstructed the law with your influence, you obstructed justice and you obstructed the law. As a Chief of Staff of Edo State, this kind thing happen, them say person steal, the person say e no steal, eventually the person brought the money, you go know the kind person when e be, but the Chief of Staff said, okay, let Harrison go.”
The claimant averred that the remarks made by VeryDarkMan against him in the video are all false and derogatory.
He stated that there was no particular point in time that he interfered with police investigation of one Harrison Gwamnishu or any person whatsoever, as he does not have the legal powers to interfere with any police investigation.
The claimant averred that all through the years of him holding diverse public positions, there has never been any time on record that he perverted the course of justice, as he had always carried out his lawful duties and responsibilities with sheer diligence and uprightness.
The claimant stated that the video made by VeryDarkMan was a calculated attempt to damage his reputation and good standing which he has painstakingly built over the years.
He averred that he has suffered huge psychological trauma as a result of the video and the derogatory remarks made by the defendant against him.
The claimant further averred that he has suffered huge economical losses and setbacks as a result of financial expenses incurred to manage the consequences of the mental torture that the defendant has, by his derogatory comments, made him go through.
He also stated that his relationship with family and friends has suffered huge setbacks as they now tend to distance themselves from him due to the malicious defamatory remarks made by VeryDarkMan against him.
The claimant averred that he wrote a letter through his solicitor to VeryDarkMan demanding that the defendant retract the defamatory video on his Facebook and Instagram social media platforms, but VeryDarkMan failed, refused, and/or neglected to retract the said defamatory video. The letter dated January 14, 2026, is pleaded and shall be relied upon at the trial.
The claimant is seeking the following reliefs from the court:
A declaration that VeryDarkMan, through his social media verified Facebook and Instagram pages with the name “Verydarkblackman” with over One Million Followers, did make defamatory remarks against the Claimant through the video he posted on January 14, 2026.
An Order compelling VeryDarkMan to pay the sum of N500,000,000 (Five Hundred Million Naira) only, to the Claimant as damages for the injury done to the Claimant’s reputation and integrity, as a result of the Defendant’s defamatory remarks against the Claimant.
An Order compelling VeryDarkMan to publish an apology on two National Dailies and all his social media handles, containing a retraction of the defamatory remarks made by the Defendant against the Claimant.
