Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, a social media influencer and critic has been released from police custody after fulfilling the court’s bail requirements.
AFRIPOST reports that he was previously charged with impersonation by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
In light of his Friday court appearance, he was given N2 million in bail, contingent on two sureties paying the same sum.
The court also ordered him to turn in any additional identifying documents, including his international passports.
VeryDarkMan was taken into custody by the authorities on Thursday night, AFRIPOST reported.
According to his attorney, Deji Adeyanju, he was arrested after accepting a police invitation.
Adeyanju revealed that his client had accepted a similar offer on Wednesday in a post on X on Thursday.
When VeryDarkMan uploaded a video of himself wearing a police uniform and identifying himself as the “chief superintendent of police (CSP) of the online division,” the case against him began.
The NPF declared an inquiry into the provenance of the uniform and his stated viewpoint after criticising this representation and labelling it illegal.
In response, VeryDarkMan issued a public apology, stating, “I didn’t intend to impersonate the police in any way, and I tender my unreserved apologies to the Nigeria police force and the office of the inspector general of police.”
He also cautioned others, saying, “I would like to use the medium to tell the general public to always seek permission from the police or other law enforcement agencies before using anything that might look like their uniform.
He concluded with a reminder, “You might want to use it for good but there are others that might want to use it for bad, so it’s good to get full approval before using anything that might seem impersonating.”
