A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that social media influencer and critic, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, be remanded in police custody . The court’s decision comes after the Nigeria Police Force arraigned VeryDarkMan on five counts bordering on cyberstalking .
The Bail Hearing and Next Steps
VeryDarkMan’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, applied for bail, but the prosecution team requested more time to respond, leading the court to adjourn the bail hearing to May 29 . The police prosecution initially moved to have the blogger remanded in prison custody, but his lawyers successfully applied for him to be kept in police custody instead
The Case and Its Implications
VeryDarkMan’s case has sparked debate about freedom of speech in Nigeria ⁸. The blogger’s arrest and remand in custody have raised questions about the limits of online expression and the powers of law enforcement in the country ⁸. As the case unfolds, it remains to be seen how the court’s ruling will impact VeryDarkMan and the broader online community in Nigeria.
