Popular social media activist Martins Otse, known widely as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after spending five days in detention.
His release was confirmed on Wednesday by his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, who simply stated, “He has been released.”
Otse was arrested on Friday, May 2, following multiple petitions alleging his involvement in serious financial crimes.
In a statement on Tuesday, EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that Otse had been granted administrative bail, but remained in custody at the time due to pending fulfillment of bail conditions.
According to Oyewale, Otse had previously been invited for questioning through known addresses and communication channels but failed to respond, prompting the EFCC to obtain a lawful remand order for his arrest.
“The EFCC has a lawful right to hold Otse in custody like any other suspect being investigated by the Commission,” the statement read. “He has been offered administrative bail and would be released after fulfilling all the bail conditions.”
Otse’s detention triggered public protests in Abuja, where a large group of supporters stormed the Guaranty Trust Bank headquarters on Monday. Chanting slogans like “#FreeVDM” and holding placards with messages such as “Activism is not a sin” and “VDM is the masses’ liberator,” the demonstrators accused authorities of trying to silence Otse for his outspoken views against public figures and institutions.
Some supporters also took to the streets in solidarity convoys, intensifying calls for his immediate release.
