A chief magistrate’s court in Abuja has dismissed the police-filed criminal case against social media activist VeryDarkMan.
On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
VDM announced the news in an Instagram video on Tuesday afternoon, stating that the court had cleared him and dismissed him.
“First of all congratulations to me after two years of battling in court with Nigerian police over the charge that I wore a Nigerian Police uniform therefore impersonating the Nigeria Police, a criminal offense punishable by two-five years.
“It’s with great pleasure to announce to you that the battles are all over, the case has been struck out for lack of evidence and therefore I have been honorably discharged and acquitted.”
VeryDarkMan was arraigned in 2024 for impersonating the police after wearing the force’s uniform “without authorisation”.
ALSO READ: VDM Calls Tinubu’s Spokesman Stupid Over Insecurity Issues
In November 2024, he was granted N2 million bail. The development came after VeryDarkMan, in an online video, referred to himself as CSP and Nigeria’s “number one online police officer”.
Earlier in May, VeryDarkMan strongly criticised presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga. He accused the government of neglecting growing insecurity in response to the viral AI-generated film purportedly connected to him.
The remark coincides with the presidency’s pledge on Wednesday to bring charges against Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VDM, a Nigerian social media critic, for allegedly posting a phoney audio tape of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
One of VDM’s films allegedly featured an AI-generated audio of the President, according to a post published by X user @Pious_minister.
A voice impersonating Tinubu allegedly stated in the widely shared clip that Nigerians would continue to experience insecurity as a result of their failure to support him in the 2023 presidential election.Africans & Diaspora
Reacting to this via a video posted on his social media page, VeryDarkMan described Onanuga as “stupid” and “daft,” insisting he would not defend the controversial AI clip.
