Social media activist VeryDarkMan has opened up about his fallout with Afrobeats star Davido, rapper Zlatan Ibile, and other celebrities, saying disagreements over the fight for justice for late singer Mohbad contributed to their strained relationships.
In a video addressed to members of his Ratel Movement, VDM explained that the campaign initially brought some of them together but eventually exposed their differences.
He recalled questioning Naira Marley over Mohbad’s alleged complaints about Marlian Records before investigating other circumstances surrounding the singer’s death in September 2023.
Speaking about Davido, VDM said they became friendly after the singer followed him on social media in 2024. However, their relationship reportedly deteriorated after he obtained a WhatsApp group conversation in 2025, which he claimed implicated some people in Davido’s circle in efforts that led to his arrest in 2024.
“One thing that brought us together is the same thing that divided us, right? What is it? Justice for Mohbad,” he said.
“In 2023, when Mohbad died…everybody was in one direction.
“Then Davido followed me around 2024; I was excited when Davido followed me because Davido is a star. An International star. He followed me; after that, we became cool. If he drops music, I would show love by promoting. We have a couple of relationships in the DM but to be very honest, it is always him asking for the favour.
“I have never asked him anything or for him to do something for me before. Like that, we became pals. 2024, I was arrested; I stayed close to a month in detention, and I was moved to Kuje prison, and I stayed in Kuje prison. Eventually, I was released, and I continued doing what I was doing.”
He recounted being arrested in 2024, spending nearly a month in detention and later being moved to Kuje prison before his release.
He alleged the arrest was plotted because he kept asking questions about Mohbad that the group found inconvenient, claiming their real aim was to bring Naira Marley down rather than secure justice.
“Come 2025, I laid my hands on a WhatsApp group chat that had Iyabo Ojo, Tonto Dikeh, Samklef, K-Solo, Drey DMW, Aloma DMW… I then found out that it was from this group chat that they planned my arrest,” he said.
“Why did they plan my arrest? Because I was asking questions about Mohbad that they didn’t like. So it looked like my questions were a distraction from the agenda that they had on the ground.
“Trust me, the thing about the chats was not for justice for Mohbad, as against the reason why they seem to have created the group; it was just ‘Naira Marley must go down’.
“So when I found this out, I was surprised that me and Davido, we dey cool. I dey see hin crew guys we dey laugh, how come these guys na them still plan my arrest? When I go spend months for Kuje.”
He said he repeatedly called Davido to ask about the conversations but received no response. He said he later saw a blog post suggesting that he wanted to record Davido’s conversation and use it against him, describing this as “a betrayal”.
“So I released some parts of the chat, and I called Davido. His phone rang; he didn’t pick. I felt like maybe he was busy, after like two, three hours, he posted something then I said okay is active,” he said.
“I called him again; he didn’t pick up because I wanted to know if his boys na them plan my arrest in 2024. What did I do? …and what do you know about this justice for Mohbad? And why was I arrested?
“Next thing I saw, Cutejuls, a blog associated with Iyabo Ojo, Tonto Dikeh and all the DMWs, then posted and said: Verydarkman is trying to call Davido, and Davido is not picking. Then he goes to the comment section and adds that he wants to call Davido and record the call and use it to blackmail him.
“That was cold; that was betrayal. He didn’t want to have that conversation for reasons best known to him, because tell me, why are your boys in such a WhatsApp group?
“I went into his DM and told him things. As e dey be like this, if I see you here, I pass another place. As a matter of fact, they even put free Verydarkman join and na them plan my arrest.”
The activist alleged that some members of the group were more interested in settling personal scores with Naira Marley than seeking justice for Mohbad.
He also claimed they attempted to persuade Zinoleesky to leave Marlian Records during the controversy, but the singer refused.
Speaking about Zlatan, he criticised the singer for staying silent during the initial campaign for justice, while accusing him of using the attention around Mohbad’s death to push their joint track, ‘Account Balance’.
He said he no longer wished to associate with either singer.