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Deji Adeyanju, counsel to activist Martin ‘Verydarkman (VDM)’ Otse, has provided more details about the EFCC’s continued detention of his client despite granting administrative bail.
PREMIUM TIMES reported on Tuesday that the anti-graft agency confirmed VDM was granted bail and would be released upon meeting the conditions.
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However, Mr Adeyanju disputed this claim, stating that he didn’t receive any documentation from the EFCC confirming the bail conditions for his client.
Despite interventions from several prominent individuals, VDM’s continued detention for more than 24 hours after the EFCC’s announcement is a cause for outrage.
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Falana
In a statement on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Mr Adeyanju described VDM’s prolonged detention as unlawful.
He said this was despite the intervention of human rights lawyer Femi Falana.
In a now-deleted post, Mr Adeyanju criticised Mr Falana for allegedly failing to intervene in VDM’s arrest and detention.
Mr Adeyanju wrote, “Our revered leader and mentor, Femi Falana SAN, has yet to condemn the arrest of VDM. Interesting times indeed! When the boy who led people to attack me under Buhari became a victim under the same Buhari and was arrested, I was the first person to condemn it.”
Acknowledging that the 66-year-old has weighed in on the matter, he wrote, “I have now confirmed, contrary to my previous post the other day, that our revered leader and mentor, Femi Falana SAN, has made several calls to EFCC challenging VDM’s unlawful arrest and detention.”
This newspaper reported that Mr Falana and his son, singer Falz, filed a defamation lawsuit against VDM in 2024 over an audio recording allegedly made by cross-dresser Bobrisky.
In the recording, Bobrisky accused Mr Falana and his son of perverting the course of justice during his six months’ imprisonment for Naira abuse.
In the audio VDM posted on his social media platforms, Bobrisky, whose real name is Idris Okuneye, allegedly claimed Falz and his father contacted him to facilitate a ‘presidential pardon’ in exchange for a N10 million fee.
However, in April, Justice Matthias Dawodu of an Ikeja High Court struck out the defamation suit despite several court appearances and adjournments.
Detention reasons
Furthermore, in a separate post, Mr Adeyanju disclosed that he could not understand VDM’s continued detention by the anti-graft agency, six days after his arrest.
He stated that VDM is not a criminal but rather an individual who used his voice to speak out against societal issues, Nigeria’s challenges, and corruption.
“The most painful thing to me about the issue of my client and EFCC is that the current commission chairman is someone I greatly admire.
“I do not understand why VDM is still detained 6 days later. I do not understand how VDM, who only uses his voice against societal issues, the problem of Nigeria or anti-corruption?”, Mr Adeyanju added.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has gathered that the protest tagged ‘# Freevdm’, which began on Monday, is ongoing in Abuja and some states.
READ ALSO: ‘We’re yet to receive VDM’s bail document’ – Deji Adeyanju counters EFCC
In a video obtained by this newspaper on Wednesday, the protesters gathered in front of a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) branch in Abuja, staging a peaceful demonstration.
This newspaper gathered that Mr Adeyanju, along with some supporters of VDM, claimed on Friday that the activist was arrested at a GTBank branch when he accompanied his mother to complain about persistent unauthorised deductions from her account.
The bank released footage that disproved Mr Adeyanju’s claims, showing VDM walking out of its premises.
On Wednesday, the protesters took to the streets of Abuja, chanting “GTBank is a thief!” while carrying various placards.
As of the time of filing this report, the demonstrators have vowed to sustain their peaceful protest with unwavering determination until VDM is released from the custody of the EFCC.
