*EFCC speaks: Why we arrested, detained him
Indications have emerged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may release social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan on Tuesday.
It was learnt that there are plans to formally charge him to court on Thursday.
A senior official within the anti-graft agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the development on Monday, noting that while Otse remains in custody, he has not yet been formally arraigned.
VeryDarkMan was recently arrested by the EFCC over allegations of cyberstalking.
His legal representative, Deji Adeyanju, who confirmed Otse’s arrest on X, said a team of policemen arrested VDM along with his friend, C Park.
Scores of youths on Monday took to the streets of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, to protest the arrest of the activist.
The protesters, who marched from the headquarters of EFCC to the premises of a commercial bank where he was reportedly arrested, held placards with inscriptions such as “Release Very Dark Man,” and “Seyi Tinubu, Are You Involved?,” among others.
They described VDM’s arrest and detention as illegal and demanded transparency from the authorities as they vowed to take their grievance to the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, in the Maitama district of the nation’s capital.
EFCC: Why we arrested, detained VeryDarkMan
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied a viral report claiming it disclosed the reasons behind the detention of controversial social media commentator VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The activist was detained on Friday after visiting a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch in Abuja with his mother to address alleged unauthorised withdrawals from her account.
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju later revealed that VDM’s arrest followed a petition filed by a magistrate in Abuja.
However, on Monday, BBC Pidgin quoted Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, as saying the activist was arrested based on petitions filed by some individuals who had grievances against him.
When asked if the petitions were related to GTB, Oyewale was quoted to have said the complaints came from different individuals and that the EFCC has a responsibility to protect them.
“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale was quoted as saying.
“We will release him once he meets the bail conditions, and we will take the case to court as soon as possible. We are law-abiding.”
Following his detention, supporters and associates of VeryDarkMan took to social media to campaign for his freedom.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi condemned VDM’s arrest, calling it a “disregard for the rule of law and human rights”.
Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president, expressed his disappointment with the “continued detention” of the activist without formal charges, describing it as a “violation of his constitutional rights and a sign of growing authoritarianism” in the country.
Davido also joined the outcry, praising the widespread support for VeryDarkMan as “proof that genuine activism impacts lives”.
However, shortly afterward, the commission denied speaking with BBC Pidgin.
The EFCC, which has stayed quiet about the activist’s detention, dismissed the BBC Pidgin report as “fake news” in a post via X.
