Nigerian social media critic, Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, has been freed from police custody in Abuja.
KanyiDaily recalls that VeryDarkMan was arrested by the police on March 22, following a petition by Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh over allegations of cyberbullying and threats to her safety.
Before his arrest, VeryDarkMan had accused Tonto Dikeh of being the owner of GistLover blog, resulting in numerous death threats directed at her by the blog’s detractors.
VeryDarkMan’s lawyer revealed last week that his arrest stemmed from a petition filed by Tonto Dikeh and actress Iyabo Ojo, along with singer Samklef, accusing him of cyberbullying and cyberstalking.
Their petition prompted various policing agencies in Abuja to summon VeryDarkMan, although the police in Abuja denied any involvement in his arrest.
After nine days in detention, Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, confirmed VeryDarkMan’s release in a post shared on X, accompanied by photos of himself and the social media critic outside a building.
Adeyanju said that the legal team had been diligently working to secure VeryDarkMan’s release over the past five days and expressed gratitude to Omoyele Sowore, the former presidential aspirant, and the legal team representing VeryDarkMan.
“After 5 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,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/adeyanjudeji/status/1774484438526697957?s=20
Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, also confirmed VeryDarkMan’s release in a post shared via X on Sunday.
He wrote, “Good news on Easter Sunday! @thatverydarkman is now free! Thanks for all your efforts to ensure oppression will not always win! #RevolutionNow.”
Good news on Easter Sunday! @thatverydarkman is now free! Thanks for all your efforts to ensure oppression will not always win! #RevolutionNow
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) March 31, 2024
KanyiDaily recalls that actress Lizzy Anjorin has express her unwavering support for VeryDarkMan following his recent arrest.