Omoyele Sowore has come out swinging. Speaking directly to journalists on the Blord versus VeryDarkMan saga, Nigeria's most prominent human rights activist delivered one of the most comprehensive and candid statements of the entire controversy defending his decision to intervene, explaining why he asked his lawyer Marshal Abubakar to disengage, revealing that he personally helped free VDM from police custody in 2024, and challenging the legal basis of the charges against Blord with a depth of legal and constitutional argument that has set social media on fire.
On VDM's Threat To Send Him To Prison
VeryDarkMan had dared Sowore to try discontinuing the case, suggesting consequences if he did. Sowore's response was calm, measured and completely unintimidated. "With regards to sending me to prison if he has the capacity to send me to prison, I'm available anytime. I'm back to Abuja. You know, all kinds of people send me to prison all the time. Prison is nothing to me," Omoyele Sowore told journalists.
He went further, offering his own reading of VDM's reaction. "I think that reaction came from a place of guilt that he realised that he hasn't done well in this particular episode. The other reactions are maybe his brand is built on instilling fear in people. That's what you hear from people so you should be afraid, you should be afraid.'"
On What Activism Actually Means
Sowore used the moment to address VDM's claim to the title of activist and the response was sharp. "This activism we're talk about is not a title. In fact, if you see anybody who has a business card that reads 'activist', run away from the person. He should go and find out the meaning of activism. Your engagement in an active way, for a cause a good cause that is activism. It doesn't have to mean that you wear the beret or khaki. It's up to society to define who an activist is. The focus for us is to see that justice is done in the particular case."
Why Blord Should Never Have Gone To Kuje
On the substance of the case, Sowore was direct and specific. He argued that the entire process of sending Blord to Kuje was a deliberate manipulation of the Nigerian justice system and he said it was done with calculation. "Blord should never ve'been sent to Kuje prison. The essence of bail is to be able to present the person back to undergo trial. I heard that he told the judge that he has a house in Abuja. He didn't take it seriously at first but they had it planned for him that is what is painful for me."
Sowore then pointed to the timing of the arraignment as evidence of deliberate planning. "The Nigerian Police and their prosecutor had it planned out. They did it to me. That's why 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 13, 2026, so at the end of the day cumulatively they would've succeeded to extract punishment for an offence that they know should not go anywhere. There is no trial that will send Blord to prison, if you look even at their charges."
The Copyright Argument Sowore Dismantles The Ratel Charge
One of the most striking moments in Sowore's statement came when he addressed the specific charge relating to copyright of the Ratel name and he did so with a mixture of legal analysis and sharp humour. "One of the most ridiculous they accused Blord of violation of copyright of Ratel. You must be able to present that you heard from the copyright organisation that you have copyrighted the head of that animal they call Ratel. If you find out, they aren't the owner."
He explained the legal distinction that lies at the heart of the matter. "Copyright is different from corporate registration. If you want to patent an idea, it is a whole different registration with copyright it sometimes can take years for it. How can you then send someone to prison and charge them for something that is out there? Ratel is not related to VeryDarkMan it is an animal. So it's like saying you are the copyright owner of my head. 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'll be surprised that other people are there ahead of you."
He pushed the argument further with an analogy that has since gone viral. "There are certain things that you also cannot copyright because you do not own them. It's just like saying that you are the copyright owner of cloud. So nobody can pass through cloud, no plane can pass through your cloud is that possible? Or you are the copyright owner of oxygen. Those are explanations people need to hear."
His Real Target The Police, Not VDM
Sowore was careful to clarify who his intervention was actually directed at and it wasn't VDM personally. "My reaction has nothing to do with him. My reaction is to the foolish people in the police force who did this. Those are my focus. The police know they did something wrong. Even as VDM continues to ply his trade and tomorrow the police come for him, if it is unjust I'll still fight for him."
This is perhaps the most significant line in Sowore's entire statement — a clear signal that his intervention in the Blord case wasn't about taking sides in a content creator dispute. It is about his consistent, long-standing opposition to the use of Nigerian police and prosecutorial power to imprison people unfairly regardless of who they are.
The Revelation Sowore Once Freed VDM From Police Custody
In the most surprising disclosure of the entire press interaction, Sowore revealed that he personally intervened to secure VDM's release from police custody during Easter 2024 before he don't even knew who VDM was. "Easter of 2024, I just arrived in the US and I was called by Deji Adeyanju VDM lawyer that he was arrested by some people, accused of cybercrime. I called the DIG at that time of the FCID he was in Ekiti. 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. I never knew who VeryDarkMan was at that point. It was Deji who called and we were on phone. The DIG had to send police to release him in Abuja. After that I never met him."
He also recalled intervening in VDM's dispute with Femi Falana. "When Femi Falana was having issues with VDM, we were saying to him, 'Sir, you can't be upset, he's your child, and if you have to do anything you gotta go with the civil route.' I'm sure he couldn't have been happy with us because Falana is like my father. I've known him since 1992 he ve been defending me till today for free pro bono."
And he pointed to another episode VDM's arrest for allegedly impersonating a police officer. "Even he himself impersonated the Nigerian Police Force. He was arrested. He wore the police uniform. We told them that this is creativity. But was he sent to prison for months, for 26 days?" Sowore also recalled intervening when the EFCC arrested VDM. "We had to go and threaten the EFCC person in charge at the Ministry of Justice that they have no right to detain him without trial."
On Marshal Abubakar His Request To Disengage
Sowore addressed directly his request that Marshal Abubakar his own lawyer and VDM's lawyer in the Blord case disengage from the prosecution. He was careful to acknowledge the limits of his position. "I said Marshal should disengage from this. VDM is right that I don't have a right to but I can make my opinion known because we are both associated. Can I order Marshal not to defend anyone? Lawyers have a right to defend whomever they want it's called the cab-rank rule. A lawyer can defend an activist today, the next day he is defending an armed robber it's their right. But 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."
On VDM Jailing Someone With A Black Maria
Sowore closed with a moment that combined genuine admiration with pointed social commentary. "I'll be jealous of him if he can jail someone accompanied by a black Maria that is a high level position in Nigeria. Not many people can do that." He added, with characteristic directness: "I don't know how many of these kids, all these content creators — they do content because I went and bailed them out of police stations in this Abuja. Every time they lock them up, I'll just go there, I don't ask questions, I take you out. When they come out, the people start abusing me. It's their fundamental human right because they have to keep the content creation going. It's creativity. I'm a lover of creativity as much as I'm a lover of human rights."
Naija Take
Sowore don talk finish. And the truth be say the man get point wey nobody fit easily commot for the talk. like the Ratel copyright charge na wetin go send Blord to prison, Sowore don show clearly say that charge no get ground to stand any serious legal argument. Ratel na animal. You no fit copyright animal name.
But the bigger gist wey most people miss na this the same man wey VDM dey threaten to send to prison na the same man wey bail VDM on Easter Sunday 2024 when nobody even know VDM. That na the kind of thing wey Nigerian drama dey always produce oyibo people dey call am irony.
April 27 dey come. Blord go enter court, the charges go face real legal argument and for wetin Sowore don analyze like this, the prosecution no go fine am easy for the matter he ho struggle wetin no good to make the case get ground to stand.
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Sources: Sowore's verified statement to journalists, Legit.ng, Kanyi Daily, Within Nigeria