“Tinubu’s Regime Turning Nigeria Into a Police State” — Atiku Slams EFCC Over Detention of VeryDarkMan

In a searing statement released via his official X handle, former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the arrest and continued detention of popular social media influencer and fierce government critic, Mr. Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), branding it “a blatant abuse of power” by the Tinubu-led administration.

Atiku described the incident as a glaring symbol of the regime’s increasingly autocratic disposition, stating: “The arrest and continued detention of Mr. Otse without any formal charges is a flagrant violation of his constitutional rights and a chilling reminder of the growing authoritarianism under this government.”

He further decried the lack of due process in Mr. Otse’s case, calling it “yet another dark chapter in the Tinubu administration’s unrelenting war on dissent.” Atiku warned that Nigeria is teetering dangerously close to dictatorship if such acts of political repression are allowed to go unchecked.

“This latest episode,” Atiku stressed, “is part of a disturbing pattern — a deliberate and systematic crackdown on the fundamental freedoms of Nigerians, especially those who dare to speak truth to power or align with the opposition.”

Drawing a sharp contrast, the former Vice President lambasted the double standards of the administration, noting that while security agencies are quick to go after vocal critics, “political loyalists with credible allegations of corruption roam freely, shielded by sycophancy and protected by the immunity of allegiance.”

He concluded with a call to action: “We must not allow state-sponsored repression to become the defining character of our democracy. The Tinubu administration’s disgraceful assault on opposition voices and civic freedoms must be condemned and resisted with every democratic tool at our disposal.”

Atiku’s statement has since gone viral, drawing reactions from human rights activists, political observers, and ordinary citizens alike, many of whom are now demanding Mr. Otse’s immediate release and an end to what they describe as an era of “selective justice and suppression.”