The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the arrest of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), following several petitions filed against him.
In a statement to BBC News Pidgin on Monday, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale explained that Otse was taken into custody to address allegations raised by multiple petitioners. “We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale stated.
When asked about a potential link to Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Oyewale clarified that the petitions came from various individuals, emphasizing that the EFCC had a duty to protect their interests. He further assured the public that the commission was preparing to take the case to court. “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,” he added.
The Take It Back Movement has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Otse. The group noted that Otse was arrested on Thursday, May 2, 2025, shortly after visiting the GTBank branch in Area 3, Garki, Abuja, where he had gone with his mother and an associate to inquire about unauthorized deductions from his mother’s account.
CCTV footage of the arrest, which has circulated widely online, has sparked anger and concern, with many accusing the operation of being a targeted attempt to silence Otse, a vocal critic of government and institutional corruption.
In a statement released on Sunday, Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek (Scotty Aluta), the Lagos State Coordinator for the Take It Back Movement, condemned the arrest as “unlawful” and “premeditated,” further accusing both the EFCC and GTBank of involvement in what they termed an abuse of power.
The group also revealed that Otse’s mother, who was with him at the time of the arrest, has since gone missing, with her whereabouts unknown.
“This is not the first time Mr. Otse has been targeted for his outspoken stance on injustice, corruption, and societal issues,” the statement emphasized, calling the arrest a dangerous example of the increasing use of state security agencies to suppress critical voices.
The statement concluded: “His arrest, captured on CCTV and now publicly circulating, appears premeditated and raises serious questions about abuse of power and the increasing use of state security agencies to silence critical voices. Worse still, his mother, who was with him at the time, remains missing, and her whereabouts are unknown — a deeply troubling development that only further underscores the lawless conduct of the agencies involved.”
