Human rights activist and politician Omoyele Sowore has shrugged off a threat by controversial content creator VeryDarkMan (VDM) to have him imprisoned, describing the reaction as one born of guilt while reiterating his commitment to fighting injustice regardless of who is involved.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Sowore said he remained unbothered by the threat.
“If he has the capacity to send me to prison, I’m available anytime,” Sowore said. “All kinds of people send me to prison all the time — prison is nothing to me.”
He argued that VDM’s reaction revealed a deeper problem.
“That reaction came from a place of guilt — that he realised he hasn’t done well in this particular episode,” Sowore said, adding that VDM’s brand appeared to be built on instilling fear in others.
Blord’s Detention Was “Planned”
Sowore reserved his sharpest criticism for the Nigerian Police, insisting that the detention of internet personality Blord — also known as Martins Vincent Otse — was deliberately engineered to punish him outside of due process.
“Blord should have never been sent to Kuje Prison,” he said. “The essence of bail is to be able to present the person back to undergo trial.”
He alleged that security operatives strategically timed Blord’s arraignment to maximise his time in custody.
“The Nigerian Police and their prosecutor had it planned out — they made sure that his arraignment was done very close to the public holiday. They know that judges are also going on a short vacation till April 13th, 2026, so cumulatively they would have succeeded in extracting punishment for an offence that they know should not go anywhere,” Sowore alleged.
He described the copyright charge against Blord — related to the use of a “Ratel” image — as legally absurd.
“Ratel is an animal. You can’t claim to own the head or picture of an animal except you go to the world copyright organisation — and if you get there, you will be surprised that other people are there ahead of you,” he said.
“It’s just like saying you are the copyright owner of oxygen. No one can own that.”
On Marshal Abubakar and the “Cab-Rank Rule”
Sowore also addressed his public disagreement with lawyer Marshal Abubakar over his decision to represent VDM in matters adverse to Blord, clarifying that he was not ordering the attorney to withdraw.
“Can I order Marshal not to defend anyone? Lawyers have a right to defend whomever they want — it’s called the cab-rank rule,” he said.
He nonetheless maintained his right to express disapproval.
“I can state to him publicly, which I have also done privately, that I disapprove of his involvement in view of the fact that we are now sharing the same emotional, political and moral space on public issues,” Sowore said.
A History of Defending VDM — Including From Himself
In a striking disclosure, Sowore revealed that he had on multiple occasions intervened to secure VDM’s own release from detention — even before the two had ever met in person.
He recalled an Easter 2024 intervention when he received a call from activist Deji Adeyanju about VDM’s arrest on cybercrime allegations.
“I called the DIG at the time of the FCID. He said, ‘Sowore, I’ve never released anyone on Easter Sunday.’ And I said to him, as long as you can arrest people on Easter, you can release this man,” Sowore recounted. “I never knew who VeryDarkMan was at that point.”
He also cited separate instances involving the EFCC and a police impersonation case, noting that he had advocated for VDM even then.
“Even he himself impersonated the Nigerian Police Force — he wore the police uniform. We told them that this is creativity. Was he sent to prison for months, for 26 days?”
Sowore said his motivation in all such cases remained consistent.
“My biggest issue is not with those who aid oppression — it is with the officials who keep people locked up. I hate when people are locked up overnight when they shouldn’t have spent an hour at the police station. I don’t have to know you.”
He confirmed he had spoken directly to Blord while the latter was in prison, telling him that everything would be alright.
