Controversial social media critic, Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, has been remanded in police custody until his next hearing, scheduled for next Wednesday. Otse appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, facing five counts of cyberstalking involving the Nigeria Police and Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Otse's lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, applied for bail, but the police prosecution team requested more time to respond. Consequently, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon adjourned the bail hearing to May 29. The prosecution sought to have Otse remanded in prison, but his lawyers successfully argued for his remand in police custody instead. As a result, Otse was taken to the National Cybercrime Centre.
The charges against Otse include:
- Posting a video on October 29, 2023, on his Instagram handle 'verydarkblackman,' containing offensive, pornographic, or menacing information, falsely alleging that Iyabo Ojo had an indecent sexual relationship with her daughter. This violates Section 24 (1)(a) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.
- Posting a video on January 19, 2024, on Instagram, falsely accusing King Tonto Dikeh of criminal conversion of crowdfunding proceeds and being behind the Gistlover blog, intending to cause annoyance, inconvenience, and other harm. This violates Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
- Posting a video on March 19, 2024, alleging that senior police officers and lawmakers were involved in sexual activities with Bobrisky, intending to cause annoyance, inconvenience, and other harm. This also violates Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
- Posting another video on March 19, 2024, claiming that Bobrisky was pimping young boys to senators and senior police officers, intending to cause annoyance, inconvenience, and other harm, violating Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
Otse's case has garnered significant attention on social media, with various users expressing their opinions on the charges and his remand.
