Popular social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), was released on Wednesday after spending five days in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, confirmed the release, stating he had given assurances to produce VDM whenever required by the EFCC or a court. VDM’s arrest on May 2 at a GTBank branch in Abuja, where he had gone to resolve unexplained deductions from his mother’s account, sparked protests and intense online backlash, with many condemning the detention as an attack on free speech.
Though EFCC officials initially claimed VDM was arrested at the bank’s exit, CCTV footage later showed he was apprehended in the car park. Protesters accused GTBank of complicity, a charge the bank denied. VDM, known for his blunt criticism of government and celebrities, is already embroiled in multiple legal battles, including a ₦1 billion defamation suit from Bobrisky and a previous arrest by the police in 2024 over cyberstalking charges. As of press time, no formal charges had been filed by the EFCC, raising questions about the legality of his detention and its implications for civil liberties in Nigeria.
