Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the arrest and detention of Martins “VeryDarkMan” Otse by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing it as a hallmark of President Bola Tinubu’s repressive and authoritarian government.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Abubakar said VeryDarkMan’s detention is another case of “abuse of power” by the Tinubu-led authoritarian government.

“The arrest and continued detention of social media influencer and outspoken critic Mr Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is yet another blatant abuse of power by the Tinubu administration, which has made political repression a hallmark of its rule,” Mr Abubakar said.

He added, “Even more alarming is the fact that Mr Otse remains in custody without any formal charges is a flagrant violation of his constitutional rights and a chilling reminder of the growing authoritarianism under this government.”

The politician condemned as “disgraceful” the current administration’s “systematic crackdown on opposition voices.”

The former vice president charged Nigerians to “not allow state-sponsored repression to become the defining character of our democracy,” adding, “This latest episode is part of a disturbing pattern: the Tinubu regime’s relentless assault on the fundamental freedoms of Nigerians, particularly those who dare to speak truth to power or align with the political opposition.”

On Monday, a horde of young Nigerians hit the streets demanding that the EFCC release VeryDarkMan.

Peoples Gazette reported that VeryDarkMan was detained by the EFCC operatives from the commission’s Special Duty Committee (SDC) Unit 4 after being apprehended at GTB’s exit door at Garki, Area 3, Abuja.

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, confirmed to The Gazette that the social critic was detained following petitions by unidentified persons against him.

“We have some petitions against him that we are working on. He has some issues with us,” said Mr Oyewale. “I’m not confirming the arrest anyway; a couple of persons sent petitions to us against him.”

The arrest came days after VeryDarkMan called GTbank out about suspicious debits from his mother’s account.