The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has called for the release of popular rights activist and social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as Verydarkman (VDM).

Otse was reportedly arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 2, following some petitions it received against him.

He was said to be in the custody of the EFCC as of the time of filing the report.

His legal representative, Deji Adeyanju, who confirmed Otse’s arrest on X, said a team of policemen “arrested VDM at GTB” along with his friend, C Park.

However, Atiku, in a post on X, said the arrest and continued detention of the social media influencer and “outspoken critic” by the EFCC was “another blatant abuse of power by the Tinubu administration, which has made political repression a hallmark of its rule”.

The former vice president said it was more alarming that Otse remained in custody without any formal charges in a “flagrant violation of his constitutional rights”.

This, he said, was a “chilling reminder of the growing authoritarianism under this government”.

Atiku said, “This latest episode is part of a disturbing pattern: the Tinubu regime’s relentless assault on the fundamental freedoms of Nigerians, particularly those who dare to speak truth to power or align with the political opposition.

“We must not allow state-sponsored repression to become the defining character of our democracy.

“While security agencies are quick to target dissenters and critics, often in complete disregard of due process, political loyalists with credible allegations of corruption walk free, trading sycophancy for immunity.”

The PDP chieftain also described the government’s systematic crackdown on opposition voices as disgraceful and an affront to democratic norms that must be fiercely condemned and resisted.

Youths Protest

Scores of youths on Monday took to the streets of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, to protest the arrest of the activist.

The protesters, who marched from the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the premises of a commercial bank where he was reportedly arrested, held placards with inscriptions such as “Release Very Dark Man,” and “Seyi Tinubu, Are You Involved?,” among others.

They described VDM’s arrest and detention as illegal and demanded transparency from the authorities as they vowed to take their grievance to the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, in the Maitama district of the nation’s capital. (Channels TV)