The Plateau State Police Command has washed its hands of the alleged hacking scandal involving the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative, an NGO founded by social media personality, VeryDarkMan. The sum of ₦180 million was reportedly siphoned from the organization’s account by hackers..
What They Are saying
DSP Alabo Alfred, the Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Police Command, categorically denied any involvement in the investigation. According to him, the case was neither reported to their command nor committed in Plateau State.
VeryDarkMan had earlier claimed that the criminals had been tracked, with one suspect already nabbed. He also announced his heroic plan to head to Jos to recover the stolen funds. Yet, Alfred’s response opened the veil : “The matter is not reported to us. We are not the ones handling the matter because the crime was not committed within our jurisdiction. If he said he is coming to Jos, that does not mean that we are the ones handling the case.” In essence, Alfred is saying: don’t drag us into this drama.
Alfred elaborated, “The crime happened in Abuja. So, he is not coming to Jos to report an incident that did not happen within our jurisdiction. If he reported the case at the Force CID level, it is the Force PRO who can speak about it. If he reported the case at the FCT Command level, it would be a different thing.”
The FCT Police Command isn’t buying it either. Josephine Adeh, the FCT Command spokesperson, dismissed any involvement, saying, “The FCT Police Command is not aware of any case involving VDM’s missing funds and is not conducting any investigation into it. The individual in question should be contacted to clarify where the matter was reported, as there is no record of such a case with the FCT Police Command.”
So, if it’s not Plateau, then who? If Plateau isn’t handling it and neither is Abuja, then where was the crime reported? Or was it ever reported at all?
Why It Matters
Meanwhile, the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative, launched in October with the noble aim of addressing Nigeria’s educational woes, is now caught in a financial scandal. The NGO had garnered significant support, including a ₦100 million donation from renowned music producer Don Jazzy.
Bottom Line
Despite VeryDarkMan’s tearful proclamations, whispers are growing louder that the man telling the story. Nigerians are questioning how N180 million could simply vanish without a trace, especially from an NGO account presumably fortified with decent security measures. Some have even gone as far as to suggest that VeryDarkMan might have helped himself to the funds, but did he?