Popular Nigerian social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after spending five days in detention. He was released on Wednesday evening to his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju.
VeryDarkMan, renowned for his outspoken commentaries and fearless exposure of societal ills, was arrested last Friday following what the EFCC described as “multiple petitions” filed against him by unnamed individuals. His arrest, reportedly carried out in a Gestapo-style manner, ignited a wave of outrage across social media platforms, with hashtags like #FreeVeryDarkMan and #JusticeForVDM trending for days.
Human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, confirmed his release in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“Thanks to unrelenting efforts of all, @thatverydarkman has been released from unjust detention at the @officialEFCC! He is with his ebullient lawyer, @adeyanjudeji. #RevolutionNow.”
It was earlier reported that VDM was interrogated for several hours over his social media posts and videos in which he alleged deep-rooted corruption within the EFCC. The session was attended by Barrister Marvin Omorogbe from Adeyanju’s law firm.
In its official statement, the EFCC confirmed his arrest and stated that Otse was granted administrative bail pending the fulfillment of his conditions. The Commission added that he had ignored several invitations, necessitated his arrest.
While EFCC denied that his arrest was in response to his criticisms of the Commission, it insisted that the petitions against him bordered on serious allegations of financial crimes and warranted a thorough investigation.
