Protesters on Monday gathered at the headquarters of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) in Abuja, demanding the immediate release of popular social media activist Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
Chanting slogans and waving placards with inscriptions such as “#FreeVDM,” “Activism is not a sin,” “VDM is the masses’ liberator,” and “VDM has committed no offence,” the demonstrators accused authorities of targeting the influencer for his outspoken activism.
Some of the protesters were seen protesting in a moving vehicle, chanting FreeVDM in along different streets in the Federal Capital Territory.
VeryDarkMan was recently arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of cyberstalking.
His arrest has since sparked a wave of online backlash, with critics alleging a politically motivated attempt to silence dissenting voices. According to his legal representative, activist-lawyer Deji Adeyanju,
VeryDarkMan was ambushed by EFCC operatives inside the GTBank premises. But denying the claim and releasing CCTV footage, the bank stated that the social media influencer was not picked up on its premises, and urged that further investigations be conducted.
