ABUJA, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied claims that it publicly disclosed the reasons behind the detention of popular social media activist and commentator Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
VDM was arrested on Friday, May 2, 2025, after accompanying his mother to a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) branch in Abuja to protest alleged unauthorised deductions from her account.
While early speculation linked the arrest to his confrontation with the bank, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju later clarified that a petition from a magistrate in Abuja was behind the police action.
On Monday, May 5, 2025, BBC Pidgin published a report quoting EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale as saying the arrest was based on multiple petitions filed by individuals with grievances against VDM.
“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale was quoted as saying.
“We will release him once he meets the bail conditions, and we will take the case to court as soon as possible. We are law-abiding.”
However, in a sharp rebuttal posted via its official handle on X (formerly Twitter), the EFCC denied ever speaking to BBC Pidgin, describing the report as “fake news”.
“The EFCC did not grant any interview to BBC Pidgin or any media outlet regarding the arrest of VeryDarkMan. Any report suggesting otherwise is false and should be disregarded,” the Commission stated.
The anti-graft agency has maintained official silence regarding the circumstances of VDM’s arrest, and has not provided any formal charges or updates as of the time of this report.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism from human rights advocates, political figures, and celebrities, who view the arrest as another instance of clampdowns on free speech.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi condemned the detention, calling it a “disregard for the rule of law and human rights”.
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, described the continued detention without charge as “a violation of his constitutional rights and a sign of growing authoritarianism.”
Afrobeats superstar Davido also weighed in, describing the campaign for VDM’s release as “proof that genuine activism impacts lives.”
With the EFCC now disavowing the statements attributed to it by BBC Pidgin, the reason for VDM’s detention remains officially unclear.
