A Federal High Court in Effurun, Delta State, has ruled that popular Nigerian social media activist VeryDarkMan must pay ₦30 million in compensation to Mrs. Esinjemiyotan Uruneyonjuyei Atsepoyi, the wife of comedian Mr. Jollof, after finding him guilty of defamation.
The dispute traces back to September 2024, when VeryDarkMan publicly accused Mr. Jollof’s wife of having affairs with politicians and internet fraudsters in a bid to help her husband land a government position in Delta State.
Mr. Jollof fired back at VeryDarkMan with personal insults, questioning his upbringing.
Unwilling to let the allegations slide, Mrs. Atsepoyi took legal action, filing a ₦500 million defamation suit against the social media influencer.
In a judgment delivered on May 13, 2026 and signed by Justice R. Harriman, the court found that VeryDarkMan could not substantiate his claims with any evidence.
The judge ruled that the statements made were clearly defamatory in their plain meaning and needed no further interpretation to be considered harmful.
The court broke down the ₦30 million award into ₦20 million in general damages and ₦10 million in aggravated damages, citing the wide reach of the defamatory content as a key factor in the decision.
Beyond the financial penalty, VeryDarkMan has been given 14 days to publicly apologize to Mrs. Atsepoyi in two national newspapers and across all his social media platforms, including a formal withdrawal of the damaging statements he made in September 2024.
The court also issued a restraining order barring him from making any further defamatory statements against her, either directly or through any associates.
