Nigerian human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Monday stated that there is no official petition received by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), raising questions over the legality of his detention.
Adeyanju, who serves as legal counsel to Otse, disclosed this after visiting the activist at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
He expressed serious concerns over the agency’s failure to provide justification for the arrest, which he said lacks any legal foundation.
“Got into the country this evening and went straight to VDM at EFCC. Just left him,” Adeyanju said in a statement shared on his social media handles.
“We still cannot understand why he was arrested. EFCC said there’s no petition against him after our repeated demand.”
The activist, known for his controversial commentaries on social issues and public figures in Nigeria, was reportedly picked up at Guarantee Trust Bank in Abuja by EFCC operatives.
Adeyanju, a vocal advocate for civil liberties, accused the EFCC of engaging in what he described as “arbitrary detention” and called for the immediate release of his client.
The EFCC has yet to release an official statement clarifying the circumstances of Otse’s detention. Civil society groups and online commentators have since demanded transparency from the agency, with the hashtag #FreeVDM now trending on Nigerian social media platforms.
This is not the first time VDM has found himself in conflict with authorities over his outspoken videos.
It was reported that the Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) has condemned in the strongest terms, the unlawful arrest and continued detention of social activist, Martins Otse, more commonly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
In a statement issued Monday by its President, Abdul Mahmud Esq, PILL accused the anti-graft agency of flouting constitutional provisions by arresting Mr. Otse without a warrant and holding him beyond the legally permissible time-frame without charging him to court.
“The arrest of Otse, reportedly without a warrant and in a manner that lacks transparency, represents yet another instance of the growing disregard for constitutional safeguards that protect Nigerian citizens from arbitrary state action,” Mahmud said.
The legal luminary group expressed concern that the EFCC was “degenerating into an instrument of repression against dissenting voices” rather than upholding justice.
Citing Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, PILL noted that no person shall be deprived of liberty except in accordance with a procedure permitted by law.
“It is unacceptable for any agency of state to act outside the law in its pursuit of alleged wrongdoers,” the statement read.
“Arrests effected without a warrant and without informing the arrested individual of the reasons for such arrest violate not only constitutional provisions but also international human rights norms to which Nigeria is bound.”
PILL further criticised Otse’s continued detention beyond the 24 or 48-hour window required by the Constitution for arraignment before a court, calling it “a grave abuse of power and an affront to the rule of law.”
“The Constitution was not made to be selectively obeyed,” Mahmud said, demanding the immediate release of Otse or his prompt arraignment before a competent court.
“Nigeria is a constitutional democracy, not a police state. The use of state power to silence critical voices sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the democratic project,” the group warned.
PILL reaffirmed its solidarity with Nigerians who “speak truth to power” and pledged to continue defending citizens’ rights against what it described as the overreach of state authority.
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