Blord granted bail

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Linus “Blord” Ifejirika, who was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre over allegations of criminal conspiracy, impersonation, and the unauthorised use of activist Martins “VeryDarkMan (VDM)” Otse’s identity, has been granted bail.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Blord was remanded in custody on 1 April until 27 April over the offences.

Politician and human rights campaigner Omoyele Sowore vowed to secure his release, describing the remand as a system of oppression that weaponises the law against citizens.

Mr Sowore announced on his Facebook page on Friday that Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, granted Blord bail on self-recognisance after he had spent several weeks in custody.

Furthermore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters said the court ordered the 28-year-old to deposit his international passport as part of the bail conditions.

The Ondo-born politician wrote on his Facebook page: “Bail has been granted to Linus Williams, popularly known as BLORD, on self-recognisance.

“The court, however, ordered that he deposit his international passport as part of the bail conditions.”

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

Conditions

Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia further asked Blord to produce two sureties of good public standing.

The judge also ordered the businessman not to comment publicly on the matter.

According to the BBC, during the bail hearing, VDM’s lawyer told the court that he wanted to withdraw the counter-affidavit he filed to oppose Blord’s bail.

The lawyer said he no longer had any objection to the bail application.

Blord’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, said his client offended VDM, noting that both parties were now planning to settle the matter amicably.

Backstory

This newspaper reported that the dispute between B-Lord and VDM began in October 2025 after the businessman advertised what he described as an “iPhone XR converted to an iPhone 17 Pro Max”, which was sold at a premium price.

READ ALSO: Plateau Killings: VDM, Mr Macaroni, others tackle Tinubu over insecurity

VDM subsequently accused B-Lord of misleading Nigerians by allegedly selling refurbished phones at inflated prices. He described the practice as fraudulent and warned the public against patronising the businessman.

The controversy appeared to have subsided until B-Lord announced the launch of the “Ratel” app in January.

According to him, the application enabled users to purchase gift cards, PlayStation products and digital funds using naira or cryptocurrency, among other services.

The announcement sparked widespread reactions on social media, particularly among members of VDM’s Ratel group, which is known for its nationwide community service activities.