EFCC Frees VeryDarkMan After Five Days in Custody

••Bail Process Criticized by Lawyer
By OBSERVERS TIMES

Social media activist Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after spending five days in detention.
His release was announced on Wednesday by prominent activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, via a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Sowore stated, “Thanks to unrelenting efforts of all @thatverydarkman has been released from unjust detention at the @officialEFCC. He is with his ebullient lawyer, @adeyanjudeji.”
Earlier in the day, VeryDarkMan’s legal representative, Deji Adeyanju, had voiced his frustration with the EFCC’s handling of the bail process. Adeyanju described it as “social media bail,” alleging that the commission had yet to issue formal bail documents despite announcing that his client had been granted administrative bail.
“Bail granted VDM, social media bail, as we are yet to receive any bail document from the commission. We have made several repeated demands in this regard since yesterday, when we were informed about the decision to grant bail,” Adeyanju had stated.
The EFCC, through a statement released on Tuesday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, had confirmed that VeryDarkMan was granted bail but remained in custody pending the fulfillment of the stipulated bail conditions.
According to the anti-graft agency, the social media activist was invited for questioning based on multiple petitions alleging serious financial crimes. The commission stated that VeryDarkMan was apprehended after allegedly disregarding repeated invitations sent to his known addresses and communication channels.
The release of VeryDarkMan follows days of intense public outcry and calls for his freedom on social media platforms. The situation highlights the growing intersection between social media activism and law enforcement scrutiny in Nigeria. Further details regarding the specific bail conditions and the allegations against VeryDarkMan are expected to emerge.