On Thursday evening, the Nigeria Police Force detained social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), after he responded to a police invitation in Abuja.
The specific reason for his detention was unclear at the time of this report, but his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, confirmed the detention following VDM’s visit to the police.
According to Adeyanju, VDM had honored a similar invitation on Wednesday.
He stated on X, “Our client, VDM, has been detained after honoring a police invitation just like yesterday. VDM has consistently portrayed the Nigerian Police as our friends, even though we know they often are not.”
Earlier, VeryDarkMan issued a public apology to the Nigeria Police Force after wearing a police uniform in a viral video where he jokingly referred to himself as a CSP (Chief Superintendent of Police) of an online division.
Following questioning on Wednesday for alleged impersonation, he clarified that he was unaware that police permission was required to wear their uniforms for content purposes.
He advised other content creators to seek necessary approvals from law enforcement before using similar attire.
In a recent statement, the Nigeria Police Force strongly condemned the unauthorized use of official police uniforms and insignia by content creators, specifically referencing VeryDarkMan’s incident.
The police reminded the public that unauthorized use of police gear is a criminal offense and disclosed that an investigation was underway to trace the source of the uniform used by VeryDarkMan in his video.
Previously, in 2022, the police had also expressed concern over the use of police uniforms by individuals, filmmakers, and skit creators without authorization.
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