Controversial social media critic, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly called VeryDarkMan, has regained his freedom from Police custody in Abuja
Otse’s release was confirmed by lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Sunday; as also tweeted by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore:
The freedom of Martins Otse @thatverydarkman on Easter Sunday! #RevolutionNow pic.twitter.com/Mq11LJq0nH
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) March 31, 2024
“After five days of back and forth, we have secured VDM’s release. Thank you to everyone that made this happen especially Sowore, Kefiano & VDM’s wonderful lawyers,” Adeyanju posted on X.
Omoyele said the 27-year-old was remanded for alleged cyberbullying; arguing that the police were misusing their power and colluding with powerful people in the country to oppress others.
This is the second time VDM will be arrested this year. Earlier in January, he was said to have been arrested after a petition by actress Tonto Dikeh over comments made in the late Nigerian singer Mohbad’s case.
VDM had accused Dikeh and her colleague, Iyabo Ojo, of ‘chasing clout’ with the late singer’s death.
Reports claimed that VDM was supposed to regain his freedom on Easter Day but the police claimed there were no personnel available to process his release due to the Easter celebration.
A source said that even though the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr Solomon Arase, had said the lawyers representing the social media influencer could go and get him, the Investigating Police Officers on duty said there was no instruction to that effect.
The police later released the social media influencer.
VeryDarkMan was arrested by the police over claims that they had received a series of petitions against his conduct online.
Among others, the socialite had shared a video where he alleged that controversial cross-dresser Bobrisky was sleeping with many Nigerian lawmakers and police chiefs.
He said Bobrisky would have been arrested for openly claiming to be gay and being a trans woman if not that he was sleeping with lawmakers and top police chiefs.
“Make dem start by arresting Bobrisky. The lawmakers wey put this law, make dem first arrest Bobrisky because we watched Bobrisky from being a man, e turn woman for our eye like this.
“E do breast, e do yansh, e dey wear wig, e dey go party, e dey do everything, nobody arrest am.
“And you know why nobody arrest am? Because the lawmakers, plenty of them dey doke am. I dare them to arrest Bobrisky for Nigeria. Shey dem say na 14 years? I dare anybody to arrest am, I dare anybody because Bobrisky dey come out talk say e carry man, man carry am, na man dey spend for him, I dare Nigerian government to arrest Bobrisky if e no go cast!
“We dey country wey be say dem say na 14 years but Bobrisky dey fly. The day they arrest Bobrisky na that day una go know how many people dey run this thing for this country.
“Down to plenty of them for the north, down to plenty of them for the east and down to plenty of them for the west and the south,” VDM had said in one of his online conversations.
