Lawyers representing social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, have reacted to the circulation of a controversial audio allegedly linked to him, describing it as doctored and falsely attributed to their client.
In a statement issued by Deji Adeyanju & Partners, the legal team said their attention was drawn to comments made by presidential aide Bayo Onanuga regarding the viral audio.
According to the statement, a simple verification of VeryDarkMan’s verified social media platforms would have shown that he neither created nor shared the audio in question.
The lawyers expressed surprise that adverse comments were allegedly made against their client without proper fact-checking, despite what they described as the vast resources available to the Presidency.
The statement further claimed that the incident validates VeryDarkMan’s longstanding concerns about alleged attempts by powerful figures in government to silence and discredit him because of his outspoken views on issues of public interest.
Deji Adeyanju & Partners also called on relevant security agencies to investigate the source and circulation of the alleged doctored audio and ensure that those responsible are identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The controversy comes amid heated reactions online over the authenticity of the viral recording and growing debates about the use of AI-generated and manipulated audio content in Nigeria’s political space.
