
Abuja, Nigeria – Controversial social media critic Martin Otse, known online as VeryDarkMan, has been remanded in police custody following his arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Otse, who faces five counts of cyberstalking, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The court proceedings, held on Wednesday, revealed allegations against Otse involving the Nigeria police and prominent Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh. His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, requested bail for his client, but the police prosecution team argued for more time to respond. As a result, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon adjourned the bail hearing to May 29.
While the prosecution sought to remand Otse in prison custody, his legal team successfully argued for his detention in police custody instead. Consequently, VeryDarkMan was taken to the National Cybercrime Centre.
The charges against Otse include:
- Posting Offensive Content about Iyabo Ojo: On October 29, 2023, Otse allegedly posted a video on his Instagram account falsely claiming that Iyabo Ojo was involved in an indecent sexual relationship with her daughter. This act violated Section 24 (1)(a) of the Cybercrime Act.
- False Accusations Against Tonto Dikeh: On January 19, 2024, Otse posted a video accusing Tonto Dikeh of misappropriating crowdfunding proceeds and being associated with the controversial Gistlover blog. This was intended to cause harm and violated Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
- Allegations Involving Police and Lawmakers: On March 19, 2024, Otse claimed in a video that senior police officers and lawmakers engaged in sexual activities with Bobrisky, aiming to cause annoyance and inconvenience. This act also breached Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
- Accusations of Pimping by Bobrisky: In another video posted on March 19, 2024, Otse alleged that Bobrisky was involved in pimping young boys to senators and senior police officers. This was intended to harm reputations and violated the same section of the Cybercrime Act.
Each of these charges involves knowingly posting false information with the intent to cause distress, inconvenience, and harm. The case has drawn significant attention due to Otse’s prominent online presence and the serious nature of the allegations. The court will reconvene next week to decide on his bail application.