Abubakar Marshall, legal counsel to social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has filed a ₦1 billion defamation lawsuit against entrepreneur Linus Williams, widely known as BLord, for allegedly referring to him as an “ex-convict.”
The suit, filed before a High Court in Abuja, accuses Williams of making false and damaging statements about Marshall during an online exchange that has since circulated widely across social media platforms. According to court documents, the claimant is demanding ₦1 billion in general damages, a public retraction, and a written apology to be published in national newspapers and on all social media platforms where the statement was allegedly made.
Marshall, through his legal team, argued that the statement was defamatory, malicious, and intended to injure his professional reputation as a legal practitioner. He maintained that he has never been convicted of any crime and described the allegation as a deliberate attempt to ridicule him in the public eye.
“The defendant’s statement portraying the claimant as an ex-convict is false, reckless, and has exposed him to public contempt, embarrassment, and loss of professional standing,” the suit stated.
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The dispute is believed to have stemmed from an ongoing online feud involving supporters of VeryDarkMan and BLord, both of whom have been involved in several public controversies in recent months. The disagreement escalated after Marshall publicly defended his client in a separate matter, prompting a response from Williams in a video that later went viral.
Legal analysts say the case could test the limits of online speech and defamation under Nigerian law, especially as public figures increasingly engage in disputes on social media platforms. They note that Nigerian courts have in recent years awarded damages in defamation cases where claimants were able to prove reputational harm caused by false statements published to the public.
As of the time of filing this report, Linus Williams had not issued an official response to the lawsuit, and it remains unclear whether he has been formally served court papers.
The court is expected to fix a date for hearing after the completion of preliminary procedures. If successful, the suit could become one of the high-profile defamation cases involving social media personalities in Nigeria’s legal history.
