Ijeoma Josephina Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, said her Instagram account became unavailable on Monday, May 25, after she was “heavily reported” by fans of influencer Martins Vincent Otse, known online as VeryDarkMan.
“I didn’t deactivate my IG. Deactivate say wetin happen na? It got suspended,” Phyna said in a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, where she also accused VeryDarkMan of trying to sleep with her and of later turning against her when she rejected his advance.
The suspension came after a weekend public clash that began with Phyna posting allegations and screenshots of private chats to back them up, and ended with VeryDarkMan denying the core claim and demanding proof. “Phyna said that I, VeryDarkMan, wanted to sleep with her. She said she has evidence, I will like to see the evidence first because I have never told Phyna that I wanted to sleep with her,” VeryDarkMan said in a response clip. He added, “Number 2, what if I told Phyna that I wanted to sleep with her. Is there a problem with that? Both of us are adults. If I tell you that I want to sleep with you, that would be me seeking your consent.”
The dispute is rooted in the handling of Phyna’s late younger sister Ruth Otabor’s case. In 2025 Phyna reached out to VeryDarkMan for help seeking justice after Ruth was struck by a Dangote Cement truck in Edo State. After VeryDarkMan became involved, Dangote Cement pledged to take responsibility for Ruth’s medical care; within days VeryDarkMan withdrew and accused Phyna of negotiating with the company behind his back. Phyna denies that she went behind him and says he later alleged she asked for N1 billion from Dangote — a claim she says never occurred. “VeryDarkMan came out to say the opposite of what happened. I can never forgive him because he turned me into a bad person over my sister’s case. He is someone I held in high esteem, but he switched up on me. Claiming I requested N1 billion from Dangote. I was shocked because such a conversation never happened. Maybe he started holding grudges against me because he said he wanted to sleep with me and I didn’t accept,” she said.
What began as a campaign for a grieving family has become a social-media confrontation with real reputational stakes. Over the weekend Phyna shared screenshots of private chats she says support her account; VeryDarkMan has challenged her to show the evidence. The Instagram suspension, Phyna told followers, followed a wave of reports from VeryDarkMan’s fans — an action she links directly to the online fight.
The disagreement widened when influencer Israel DMW entered the fray and made insulting remarks about Phyna. Phyna, in turn, addressed Israel DMW’s marriage and lack of children during a live broadcast. Israel DMW defended himself on Instagram, saying Nigerians are quick to criticise public figures who remain legally married without having children with multiple women. The back-and-forth undercut any tidy narrative that the conflict was only about one accusation; it has become a multipart public spat involving supporters, counterclaims and personal attacks.
Tension in the story comes from contradictory public claims and the absence of independent verification. Phyna says her account was suspended after coordinated reporting by VeryDarkMan’s fans; VeryDarkMan denies the sexual-advance allegation and insists he has never told Phyna he wanted to sleep with her. Both have aired private messages and motives in public, and Dangote Cement’s earlier pledge to care for Ruth’s medical needs sits at the center of a dispute about who mediated with the company and why the involvement stopped.
The practical answer to why this matters today is simple: the dispute has moved beyond private grief and into the public arena, and Phyna’s suspended Instagram has removed the central channel she used to press her case. In the immediate term, Phyna has posted on X and shared screenshots; VeryDarkMan has issued denials and demanded clear proof. For readers following naija news, the next development to watch is whether Phyna produces the evidence she says she has and whether Instagram restores her account — outcomes that will likely decide whether the argument returns to private settlement over Ruth’s case or continues to play out as a reputational fight online.
