The 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Sunday condemned the arrest of Martin Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), saying the action was carried out in a manner that left many Nigerians unsettled.
On Friday, Deji Adeyanju, the human rights lawyer, said the social media activist was arrested by police officers at a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch in Abuja.
VDM was reportedly arrested after visiting the bank with his mother to address “unauthorised withdrawals from her account”.
In a statement issued by Mr Adeyanju’s law firm and signed by Zainab Otega, he disclosed that VDM and his friend Steven ‘C-Pack’ Avuara were apprehended immediately after stepping out of a GTBank branch.
According to him, they are currently detained by EFCC operatives attached to Unit 4 of the Commission’s Special Duty Committee (SDC).
He said, “Upon receipt of the information, our founding partner, Marvin Omorogbe. Esq and our Associate, Steven Eze, Esq, promptly proceeded to the EFCC headquarters, Abuja, where they confirmed that our clients were being detained by officers attached to the Commission’s Special Duty Committee (SDC) Unit 4.
“Further inquiries at SDC Unit 4 led our colleagues to a certain Mr Chukwu, who was identified as the lead officer in charge of the case. Our colleagues subsequently requested access to our clients but were informed that Mr Martins Otse declined to see anybody. However, our colleagues could see Mr Avuara, who narrated the circumstances leading to their arrest.”
Obi described the manner of the arrest as unsettling and akin to an abduction.
He expressed concern over the increasing tension in the country, exacerbated by what he described as a disregard for the rule of law and human rights.
He said the arrest, while possibly within the legal rights of security agencies, was executed in a manner that left many Nigerians feeling unsafe.
“The display of force, lacking in transparency and civility, closely resembled an abduction,” Obi said.
This disturbing method not only creates fear but also risks being mimicked by criminal elements.
“If Nigerians begin to struggle to distinguish between legitimate arrests and unlawful abductions, we will lose a vital layer of national security and accountability.”
Obi suggested that a more civil and transparent approach could have been deployed.
“Was it impossible to invite Mr. Otse in a civil, transparent, and legal manner? Would that not have spared Nigerians, GTBank, and our national image the unnecessary shame and losses we now witness?” he asked.
Obi also addressed the alleged abduction of Atiku Isah, the factional president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
He warned against the erosion of youth voices in a democracy.
“Nigeria’s youth should not feel coerced, silenced, or absorbed into political agendas that do not reflect their will,” he said.
“The oppression of young voices, whether through force, patronage, or intimidation, is a dangerous path that we must not normalize.”
Last week, Isah accused Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, of interference in the affairs of the student body.
He alleged that associates of the president’s son tortured and forced him to resign his position on April 16, 2025.