On Friday, May 2, Martins Vincent Otse, a Nigerian social media commentator and human activist who is better known as Very Dark Man (VDM) was picked up by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at one of the most influential banks in Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria.
VDM’s arrest sparked outrage among Nigerians, especially young individuals who are ardent users of social media. While some netizens clamoured for his release by protesting on the streets of Nigeria, other persons, such as another social media commentator and content creator, Oyemike, slammed the humanitarian for being ‘too talkative’. Admonishing to desist from confronting the authority because, ‘power is power‘ and he (VDM) will continue to suffer for it.
Since his emergence in the mid-2020s, Very Dark Man has been a controversial figure, an embodiment of conundrum and peace that several Nigerians love to hate. Some people dislike him for being unapologetic about his approach to demanding justice for those who are at the lower cadre of the hierarchical system in Nigeria.
Others cannot help but admire and applaud him for his effrontery; they laud him for his courageous personality to wage war against oppressors and speak for those who have been bullied, intimidated and demeaned by the sharp-edginess of abject poverty. Due to the characteristics shown by Very Dark Man time and again, he has been dubbed the ‘voice of the voiceless’ for demanding justice for those who seem to have lost hope and are unable to find hope in the vague future instigated by the constant anarchy the occurs in Nigeria, especially the northern part of the most populated black nation.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLE:
EFCC: How top Nigerian celebrities reacted to VeryDarkMan’s arrest
Very Dark Man: Before Becoming The Voice of The Voiceless
In this article, we will look at the background story of one of the most talked about men in recent years. Before his rise to prominence, Very Dark Man was born in Kaduna, a northern part of Nigeria. His parents are from Edo state.
Rise To Prominence
Very Dark Man’s social media activism career commenced in 2022. Initially, he garnered attention through his interactions with Nigerian celebrities, which led to an increase in his online following. Subsequently, he began posting a series of videos that sparked controversy. By early 2023, his content had gone viral, further amplifying the controversy surrounding his online presence. In June 2023, Nigerian singer Davido followed him on Instagram and publicly endorsed him.
Very Dark Man: Revolutionary Or Menace To Society?
Very Dark Man would always be the name on everyone’s lips at least for the next couple of weeks. He has carved a niche for himself as not only the voice of the voiceless but he has been able to feud against prominent figures such as Nigerian recording artiste, Folarin Falana who is better known as Falz and his father, Femi Falana, he has engaged in heated arguments against media personality, Chinedu Ani who is otherwise known as Nedu, Big Brother Naija’s Dee-One, another controversial personnel, Bobrisky, the list goes on. An enigma, it is impossible to categorize Very Dark Man as he is always at war, with his ringlight and camera with a sachet of pure water in his videos, the self-acclaimed ‘ratel’ is always prepared to cut anyone’s slack regardless of their political status.
Due to his pragmatic and oftentimes military approach to attacking his opposition, Very Dark Man has been dubbed a cyberbully, a troll, and talkative, making him lose some of his audience. Unlike revolutionaries of old such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jnr, Mahatmi Gandhi, and several other notable figures, VDM isn’t the type of backdown from a war, he is prepared to tumble in the mud in the bout with his archrivals. Somedays, he is in the mud for choosing to disrespect the uniform of the Nigerian police force, other times, he is in EFCC custody for alleged money laundering, albeit, Very Dark Man has continued to stand for something- someone whom you could choose to hate for his exposing the frailties in our society or admire and applaud for his benevolence and humanitarian works for speaking up for those in the hades of suffering and struggle in Nigeria.
The Legacy Of VDM
You could hate him or love him, but you cannot take your eyes off him or fail to come across his videos and images on social media- X, Instagram or TikTok, Very Dark Man appeared at the recently concluded Headies Award ceremony in April 2025, he is neither a musician nor a movie actor, albeit, he is an influencer whom people care about. His opinion matters, and the 21st century Nigerian youths especially those who are avid users of social media always want to listen him because he uses their vocabulary and lingua franca.
Due to his benevolence and humanitarian services, VDM received a nomination for the Silverbird’s Most Influential Social Media Influencer of the Year award in January 2024. It is only the beginning for the man who has been called the voice of the voiceless, It would be interesting to hear what he has to say following his recent release from EFCC custody.