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Gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo Sues VeryDarkMan For N1bn Over Alleged Defamation, Demands Retraction Videos, Apology

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Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo has filed a defamation lawsuit against blogger Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The suit stems from alleged defamatory statements made by VDM on social media, accusing Chinwo of involvement in a contractual dispute and the purported diversion of $345,000 linked to her former record label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as Eezee Tee.

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The lawsuit, filed by Pelumi Olajengbesi, Chinwo’s legal representative, seeks an order compelling VDM to delete, retract, and issue a public apology for all allegedly false and defamatory statements made against Chinwo and her brand.

In support of her claims, Chinwo has furnished the court with documentary evidence, including emails and payment receipts, to substantiate that VDM’s allegations are entirely false.

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Recall that on February 17, 2025, a Federal High Court in Lagos held that the arrest warrant against Ee Zee Tee over alleged fraudulent conversion subsists and adjourned the case until March 6, 2025 for the arraignment of the record label boss.

In the fresh defamation suit filed, Olajengbesi said VDM made the posts without provocation and with the apparent intention of lowering the Chinwo’s estimation in the eye of right-thinking members of the society.

Mercy Chinwo furnished the court with all documents and evidences to establish that all that very dark man has been saying are false.

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He told the court that the VDM’s videos and posts are false and have caused significant harm to the Chinwo’s public image, reputation, professional standing and emotional well-being.

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The lawyer said VDM made the posts on his Instagram handle on 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 12th and 17th February 2025 accusing Chinwo of “going behind the record label to go and collect shows, she was collecting gigs and she was not remitting money to the record label”.

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In the suit, Olajengbesi said VDM posted a series of videos to his millions of followers showing a “caricaturist and disdainful portrayal of the Claimant (Chinwo) as well the Defendant’s (VDM’s) bias towards the claim of Mr. EeZee T thereby deliberately ridiculing the position of the Claimant in the dispute between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T”.

“The Claimant avers that she has neither had any form of relationship with the Defendant nor was the Defendant involved in the issue between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T in any material particular.

“The Claimant avers that the statements which the Defendant made in the videos he published his Instagram page were as though the Defendant was personally involved in the issues between the Claimant and Mr. EeZee T; however, these statements were not only false, but damning and injurious to the Claimant’s public image and reputation.”

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READ ALSO: Court Remands Uncle For Killing Nephew Over Properties In Delta

The lawyer sought “an order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to remove the defamatory posts from all his social media platforms.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to cause a retraction of the said defamatory statement in favour of the Claimant on all his social media platforms and to publish an unreserved apology to the Claimant in two widely circulated national dailies and all his social media platforms.

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“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendants to write an unreserved apology to the Claimant and publish same in four national dailies, causing same to run for at least 14 consecutive days.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the Sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) only as General Damages for defamation.

READ ALSO: EFCC Detains 9 Suspected Internet Fraudsters In Abuja

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“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant, the Sum of N100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) only as Punitive and Aggravated Damages for the grossly defamatory statement.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay the sum of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Million Naira) as the cost of this suit.

“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant to pay 10% (Ten percent) on the judgment sum per annum until final liquidation of the judgment sum by the Defendants.”

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NECO To Streamline English Exam, Slashes Questions

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The National Examinations Council has announced a reduction in the number of objective questions for the English Language Paper III in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination Internal. Effective from the 2026 SSCE Internal exams, the total number of questions will be reduced from 100 to 80.

In an official notification made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday, signed by the State Coordinator for Osun State, Sunday K. Bolaji, dated September 1, 2025, stated that the new paper structure includes six sections.

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Antonyms (10 questions), Appropriateness of Registers (10 questions), Appropriate Interpretation of Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, and Foreign Words (10 questions), Synonyms (10 questions), Grammatical Structures (30 questions), and Cloze Text (10 questions).

READ ALSO:NECO Releases 2025 BECE Results

The time allocated for Paper III will also be adjusted to 50 minutes. This change aims to streamline the examination process and enhance the testing experience for students.

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Previously reported by The PUNCH, on August 29, NECO confirmed it will fully transition from the traditional paper-and-pencil examination method to a computer-based testing system, starting with the November/December 2025 SSCE external.

This shift aligns with the Federal Government’s July 2025 directive to deploy private and public CBT centres nationwide for school-based SSCEs by 2026.

READ ALSO:Reps Query NECO For Spending IGR, Postpones Budget Defence

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NECO has invited interested CBT centre operators across Nigeria to apply for accreditation, subject to strict technical, infrastructural, and security requirements to ensure examination integrity and smooth implementation.

This move aims to modernise Nigeria’s examination system, reduce malpractice, and improve operational efficiency while expanding digital education access nationwide.

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JUST IN: Ex-Ondo SDP Governorship Candidate Dies

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The candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the November 16, 2024, Ondo State governorship election, Bamidele Akingboye, is dead.

His death was confirmed on Wednesday in a statement by his aide, Oyeniyi Iwakun.

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According to the statement, Akingboye died earlier on Wednesday at his residence in Victoria Garden City, Lagos.

The statement read, “Known for his unwavering integrity, humility, and generosity, Akingboye left an indelible mark as a successful businessman and a mentor to many across Nigeria and beyond.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Oldest Missionary To Nigeria, Ruth Elton, Is Dead

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“He is survived by his wives, children, grandchildren, and siblings. The family has requested privacy during this period of grief, adding that burial arrangements and further details will be communicated in due course.”

Akingboye contested the November 2024 governorship election but lost to the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

After the poll, Akingboye and the SDP rejected the result, alleging widespread irregularities.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Oldest Missionary To Nigeria, Ruth Elton, Is Dead

The party claimed its agents were harassed and chased away from polling units, while voters were intimidated.

Akingboye himself insisted that the exercise was marred by malpractices and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to cancel the election.

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VIDEO: Police Arrest Syndicate Hypnotising Victims Under Guise Of Seeking Directions In Delta

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The Delta State Police Command has arrested seven suspects specialised in defrauding victims under the guise of seeking directions.

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The command’s spokesperson, SP Edafe Bright, disclosed this in a post on X.com on Tuesday, explaining how the syndicate approaches their victims, hypnotises them and cart away with their money and valuables.

He wrote, “Have you ever come across people who pretend like they are looking for direction? Have you ever met a victim who they lured and ended up taking all their money, phones and jewellery? Watch till the end to find out their strategy, and please share for others to learn.”

READ ALSO:Three Suspects Arrested In Police Crackdown On Delta Kidnappers

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In the accompanying video, Edafe added, “We’ve been hearing of this syndicate that usually acts in the guise of looking for direction and eventually manages to hypnotise their victims, lure them, collect their money, phones and even their jewellery. It is no longer a fairy tale because today we have about seven suspects who are very good at that, but the hands of the law have finally caught up with them.”

One of the suspects in the video described the act as a “419 business” that requires three persons called Cashama, Jejeti and Citama, respectively.

The suspect went ahead to explain the strategy they use in defrauding their suspects and the role of the three members in the scheme.

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Another suspect added that the gang has netted about N2.7 million through this tactic from five victims.

One of the victims, identified as Fullness, recounted his experience, stating that he was approached by a man who seemed lost and was ignored by other people. He took pity on the man and agreed to help.

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He noted that upon entering their vehicle, he lost all sense of awareness and was later defrauded of ₦2.5 million in cash, a phone worth ₦1.6 million, and another phone valued at ₦400,000.

Another victim, identified as Daniel, also explained how the gang collected jewellery and gadgets worth over N7 million from him.

Watch the video below:

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https://x.com/MobilePunch/status/1963169979609551162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1963169979609551162%7Ctwgr%5Ea8a95bacc0b76a0da87621d733811182f7c60d86%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpunchng.com%2Fvideo-police-arrest-syndicate-hypnotising-victims-under-guise-of-seeking-directions-in-delta%2F

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