Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo has filed a defamation lawsuit against social media critic VeryDarkMan (VDM) for N1.1 billion over allegedly harmful Instagram posts. The lawsuit, filed on March 3, comes after VDM accused Chinwo of withholding earnings from her performances rather than remitting them to her former record label, EeZee Concept, owned by Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu (EeZee Tee). VDM also claimed that Chinwo had violated contractual agreements before parting ways with the label.
Chinwo’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has strongly denied these allegations, stating that VDM was not directly involved in any dispute between Chinwo and EeZee Tee. The lawyer emphasized that VDM’s statements were “libelous, malicious, and damaging,” tarnishing Chinwo’s reputation.
In the lawsuit, Chinwo is seeking N1 billion in general damages, N100 million in punitive and aggravated damages, and N25 million to cover legal expenses. She is also requesting that VDM delete the defamatory posts, issue a public apology, and publish retractions in four national newspapers for 14 consecutive days.
The legal conflict between Chinwo and EeZee Tee stems from financial disagreements after she left the label. Chinwo accused EeZee Tee of mismanaging about $345,000 from her digital platforms and events. While EeZee Tee denied the allegations, he later called for an audit to investigate the financial issues. A federal high court in Lagos recently upheld an arrest warrant against EeZee Tee, with the case adjourned to March 6.
