Court Slams VeryDarkMan With ₦30m Fine Over Defamation Of Mr Jollof’s Wife

A Federal High Court in Effurun, Delta State, has ordered controversial social media critic VeryDarkMan  to pay ₦30 million in damages to Mrs. Esinjemiyotan Uruneyonjuyei Atsepoyi, wife of comedian Mr Jollof, over defamatory remarks made against her.

The legal dispute stemmed from an online confrontation in September 2024 between VeryDarkMan and Mr Jollof. During the heated exchange, the activist allegedly accused Mr Jollof’s wife of having affairs with politicians and internet fraudsters in a bid to help her husband obtain a political appointment in Delta State.

Following the accusations, Mr Jollof publicly defended his wife and condemned the statements made against her. Mrs. Atsepoyi later approached the court with a ₦500 million defamation lawsuit against VeryDarkMan.

Court documents reportedly signed by Justice R. Harriman on May 13, 2026, revealed that judgment was delivered in favour of Mrs. Atsepoyi after VeryDarkMan was said to have failed to provide evidence backing his allegations.

The court further ordered the social media personality to issue a public apology and retract the defamatory statements within 14 days. The apology is to be published in two national newspapers and shared across all his social media accounts.

While delivering judgment, Justice Harriman stated:

“I therefore have no hesitation in holding that the words complained of are defamatory in their natural and ordinary meaning and are actionable per se.

I find that the Claimant is entitled to general and aggravated damages and an injunction. See DIAMOND BANK v. OKPALA (2016) LPELR-41573(CA) and OBOK & ORS v. AGBOR & ORS (2016) LPELR-41219(CA). Given the wide dissemination of the defamatory material, a retraction and apology are appropriate to restore the Claimant’s reputation.

Judgment is hereby entered in favour of the Claimant against the defendant as follows: It is declared that the words published by the Defendant concerning the Claimant are defamatory.

“N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) as general damages; N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) as aggravated damages. The Defendant is hereby directed to publish an apology to the Claimant in two national dailies and all his social media handles containing a retraction of the defamatory words contained in the Defendant’s online publication of 15th, 16th, and in the early hours of 19th September, 2024, within 14 days of this judgment

The Defendant, by himself, his agents, and/or privies, is hereby restrained from further making any defamatory publication against the Claimant,” the court ordered.