Former Edo Chief of Staff Gani Audu slams Verydarkman with N500m lawsuit
The immediate past Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor, now Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Hon. Gani Audu, has instituted a court action against Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as Verydarkman or VDM.
According to a court document, the lawsuit is connected with a video posted by VDM on his verified Facebook and Instagram accounts on January 14, for which Audu claimed VDM made defamatory remarks and comments against him.
The case is currently before Hon. Justice Peter Akhihiero of the Benin High Court, with Barr. Douglas Ogbankwa as counsel for the claimant.
Audu is praying the court to award him the sum of ₦500m as damages and a public apology by the defendant.
The document stated that “The defendant made a video where he claimed that the claimant called the DPO of Auchi Police Division, telling the DPO not to record the statement of Harrison Gwamnishu, and also to allow Harrison Gwamnishu leave the police station.”
“The defendant also stated that the claimant obstructed justice with his influence,” it added.
As such, the claimant Audu is seeking an order compelling the defendant to pay him the sum of N500 million as damages and publish an apology on national dailies and all social media handles, retracting the defamatory remarks.
The document read in part: “An order of this honourable court compelling the defendant to pay the sum of N500.000.000k ( 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 of this honourable court compelling the defendant to publish an apology on the national dailies and all social media handles, containing a retraction of the defamatory remarks made by the defendant against the claimant.
“An Order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, servants, assigns, privies or any person connected to him howsoever, from further making any defamatory publication against the Claimant.”
