Mobolaji Michael
THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is billed to arraign social media influencer Martins Otse (also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM) in court today over an allegation of impersonation.
The Force, in a terse statement a few minutes ago, said the case is being handled by its Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command.
The Force statement is hereunder reproduced
IMPERSONATION: VDM TO APPEAR IN COURT TODAY, FCT COMMAND LEADING PROSECUTION
In response to recent developments, VDM, whose real name is Mr Martins Otse, is set to appear in court today following allegations of impersonation related to the unauthorized use of Nigeria Police Force uniforms in a viral social media video.
The FCT Police Command is actively handling the case, underscoring the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to upholding the integrity of its symbols and preventing their misuse. Interested persons are encouraged to follow up on the proceedings as the case unfolds.
Eighteen-Eleven Media reports that VeryDarkMan (VDM) was taken into custody on Thursday evening. This action followed his appearance at their Abuja station after a formal invitation.
While details of VDM’s alleged offence were unclear at the time, his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, confirmed that Otse was detained after responding to the police invitation. Adeyanju shared on X.com (formerly Twitter) that Otse had attended a similar session with the police the day before.
In his post, Adeyanju stated, “Our client, VDM, has been detained after honouring a police invitation just like yesterday. VDM has been consistent in stating that the Nigerian Police are our friends, even when we all know they are not.”
Earlier in the week, VeryDarkMan issued a public apology to the Nigeria Police Force for wearing a police uniform in a viral video where he jokingly referred to himself as a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) of an “online division.” He posted the apology on his X account after being questioned by the police on Wednesday for alleged impersonation.
The influencer explained that he was unaware of the legal requirement to obtain police permission to wear police uniforms or those that closely resemble them.
Following his release on Wednesday, Otse cautioned content creators to seek necessary approvals from law enforcement authorities before featuring police-like uniforms in their content.
Eighteen-Eleven Media