Controversial social media critic Martin Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, has been remanded in police custody until his next hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.
Otse was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, facing five counts of cyberstalking involving the Nigerian police and Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Otse’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, applied for bail, but the police requested more time to respond, leading Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon to adjourn the bail hearing to May 29. The prosecution sought to have Otse remanded in prison, but his lawyers argued successfully for police custody instead. Consequently, Otse was taken to the National Cybercrime Centre.
The charges against Otse include:
1. Posting a video on October 29, 2023, on his Instagram handle ‘verydarkblackman,’ 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.
2. Posting a video on January 19, 2024, falsely accusing Tonto Dikeh of criminally converting crowdfunding proceeds and being behind the Gistlover blog. This was intended to cause annoyance and harm, violating Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
3. Posting a video on March 19, 2024, alleging that senior police officers and lawmakers were involved in sexual activities with Bobrisky. This violates Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
4. Posting another video on March 19, 2024, claiming that Bobrisky was pimping young boys to senators and senior police officers. This also violates Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act.
Otse’s next court hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday, when the bail application will be reconsidered.
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