Afrobeat superstar, Davido, celebrity barman, Cubana Chief Priest, and other Nigerians have condemned the arrest of social media influencer and activist, Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.
The celebrities and fans of VDM said his arrest was carried out like an “abduction”, which left many Nigerians worried, and therefore demanded his release.
VDM was reportedly arrested on Friday at a bank branch in the Wuse area of Abuja by a combined team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives.
According to media reports, EFCC has secured a court order to remand him pending the conclusion of an investigation into alleged cybercrime offences.
However, his arrest has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with the hashtag #FreeVDM trending across different platforms.
According to the celebrities and fans, it is impossible to distinguish between a legitimate arrest and the unlawful abduction of the embattled socialite.
Davido on his X handle on Sunday, extolled VDM’s positive impact on the lives of common Nigerians and urged relevant authorities to release him.
He wrote, “Outside all the noise, it’s good to see that the good one does actually impact lives and people actually appreciate it!
“The support I’m seeing for VDM everywhere is encouraging… makes one want to do more for the masses FREE MY GUY.”
Cubana Chief Priest, in a post on his Instagram page, pleaded with the police to free the social media influencer right away, stressing that he should not be unfairly detained.
“We Just Dey Fake Happiness @verydarkblackman Our Man Is Missing. We Are Hopeful He Regains Freedom Today Or A Press Release From The People That Abducted Him.
“Joy No Dey The Voice Of The Voiceless Is Missing, The Hope Of The Hopeless Is Nowhere To Be Found. Peace Dey Cry, Street Dey Call.
For FreeVDM Now!!!”.