Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has confirmed the arrest of social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over multiple petitions.
The EFCC, speaking through its spokesperson Dele Oyewale, told BBC News Pidgin on Monday that the activist was taken into custody following complaints from several petitioners.
“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale said.
When asked if the case was connected to Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Oyewale noted that the petitions were from different individuals and the agency owed them a duty of protection.
Oyewole added that the commission was planning to arraign the social media activist.
He stated, “We will release him when he meets the bail conditions and we will take the case to court as soon as possible; we are law-abiding.”
Otse was apprehended on Thursday, May 2, 2025, shortly after visiting the GTBank branch in Area 3, Garki, Abuja.
He had reportedly gone to the bank with his mother and an associate to address unauthorised deductions from his mother’s account when he was arrested.
CCTV footage of the arrest, now widely circulated online, has sparked outrage and concern, with many alleging it was a targeted operation aimed at silencing a vocal critic of government and institutional misconduct.
