In a jaw-dropping turn of events, Nigerian gospel sensation Mercy Chinwo is at the center of a firestorm after filmmaker Stanley Ontop and Afrobeat singer Seun Kuti dropped a bombshell accusation: Chinwo allegedly masterminded the arrest of controversial social media influencer VeryDarkMan (VDM) on May 1, 2025! The drama unfolded after VDM, whose real name is Vincent Martins Otse, publicly criticized Chinwo over her legal battle with a former manager, involving a staggering $345,000.
The saga took a wild twist when VDM was nabbed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) shortly after leaving a bank branch in Abuja, where he’d been addressing unauthorized deductions from his mother’s account. The arrest followed a court order in April 2025, stemming from a defamation lawsuit Chinwo filed against VDM, demanding a whopping ₦1.1 billion and a public apology for his scathing remarks about her.
Stanley Ontop didn’t hold back, claiming Chinwo and her husband, Blessed, blocked him on Instagram after he pleaded for VDM’s release. “Mercy Chinwo blocked me on IG last night because I told her and her husband to free VDM,” Ontop fumed in a viral post. Seun Kuti echoed the sentiment, pointing fingers at “the people of God” for VDM’s detention, sparking a heated debate online.
Social media is ablaze with reactions as the #FreeVDM hashtag trends across Nigeria. Human rights activists have condemned the EFCC, calling the arrest a blatant attempt to silence VDM for exposing alleged corruption within the agency. “The EFCC has no mandate to detain him over defamation, it’s a civil matter!” one activist roared, demanding VDM’s immediate release.
Meanwhile, netizens are divided. “All of una wey dey rate this guy dey ment,” one user fired back, while others simply stated, “Facts.” Some even speculated this could be a “psyop” to manipulate public sentiment, warning, “They know how to handle you Nigerians.”
As the controversy rages on, the gospel music industry and its followers are left reeling. Will Mercy Chinwo address these explosive allegations? Can VDM secure his freedom and continue his outspoken crusade? Stay tuned, this story is far from over!
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